Scars of the Eternal Empire: Rise Of the Warden
by Ragnarra
Summary: It all began with the Je'daii Order who came from Tython who was never the same after the Force Wars. In Wildspace people never forget. This is the story of a young Initiate who entered the order later in her life and changed their fates. Rated M a AU story very slow burn
1. Prologue

**Hello I'm the author Ragnarra. As you may noticed the quality has changed that's because I rewrote the prologue so it makes more logical sense to the reader. For my previous readers I do apologize for the wait. Good things come to those who wait. Anyway: I own nothing casual disclaimer I also gain no profit off of this. Also see if you can catch my ElfQuest reference in there! Kudos to those who find it! **

Prologue: Time of Strife

"_Actions speak louder than words."_

The Je'ddai Order predated the current order but one must wonder why did it collapse? What would drive such change suddenly without warning? To change everything they knew at the time? The Force Wars tore the old order asunder to answer that question followers of _Ashla _the light-siders and the followers of _ Bogan _known as dark-siders. Friends became foes as the wars raged for decades, former allies tearing into each other like wolves they became what they feared. Being consumed by its power the dark-siders were unable to fight its raw strength they would become the first who were the dark-sides playthings.

This isn't to say that the fools didn't learn something from it because sometimes the only way to find out who you truly are is combat. You unleash a certain evil inside but in those moments you can find a bright star who will go above and beyond the call of duty those people are to be honored. Bravery is hard to come by even a millennium later and then some. If any of them had been actually paying attention to Tythons environs they would have noticed the signs, the warnings. The acidic soil which killed trees caused by volcanic activity* if any of them had noticed in the years to follow they would have been ready. They weren't.

It would be years however after the end of the Force wars and Rajivari form the jedi order creating the first tenants. If we are to judge what the order became later we must first look back to the beginning. Rajivari may have Fallen to the darkside persistent as a force ghost in the Fount on Tython centuries and even longer after his death. The Founders including Rajivari were Garon Jard who was responsible for the principle of calming our emotions to seek peace, Cala Brin who believed in justice so strongly that she thought we as jedi could cast aside our passions aside and ask for no favor seeking the truth, Ters Sendon the zabrak who would be a chronicler who created the first holocron made by a jedi order master. Ters Sendon was a quiet zabrak with infinite patience; it was he who had a hand in stopping Rajivari who was at the time holed up in his fortress which would become the first incarnation of the archives known as the fount of Rajivari.

One could say the counsel who fought against him and never expected this of him is it possible that the light side could be calmly insidiously blinding them? Why would such a caring and kind individual with high charisma be driven to destroy his own friends? These have convoluted answers if they are conclusive at all. Perhaps their respect of Rajivari is why he has a hologram on Tython you cannot destroy an idea as powerful as his especially with their never truly die especially through the force perhaps they hoped that in death he would be redeemed which is why he had such a hologram? Perhaps...perhaps.

Truth be told the orders past will define it even as they redefine it, redefine themselves throughout the ages as the times change. Tython was devastated when the super volcano on the planet erupted the jedi were forced to flee and abandon Tython. Some didn't make it consumed by ash, some still died a slow and agonizing death due to the ash accumulation in the lungs making it harder for them to breathe. If this wasn't the worst part the fact that it could be seen from space said a lot about the sheer explosive pressure behind it, as it reached far into the atmosphere with a large fall out.

Imagine one moment you're minding your own business and the next the force is hitting you with an explosive warning. Almost burning you metaphorically with the very warning itself you may heed it or not. Everything within the epicenter of Xalar peak for five hundred miles would die instantly a small mercy compared to those outside this instadeath kill zone who would suffer.

The hot ash would cover vast swaths of land even beyond that hovercraft based engines can't handle volcanic ash. Its like a wind turbine getting sandblasted in a jet the ash effects the deeper mechanics of it. Meaning they had no choice but to use every serviceable spaceship as eventually the ash would cause hovercraft to fail. Granted normal ground based vehicles were not completely unaffected if they used them at all if they had then perhaps more would have survived. Thousands of the early jedi order were slain not by the blade but by the fury of the Gods and Mother Nature's pure wrath.

As ash rained down as people force sensitive or no scrambled to flee as the ash mixed with rain creating a sort of slurry. The smell of sulfur in the air the fear and screams of scared children, teens even other people who are reacting with fear and panic. Crying and fleeing for their lives leaving behind everything that they didn't need some left everything behind. The unrest creates an uneasy pit in the stomach of a onlooker who is calm somewhat and logically assessing their survival. People are fleeing on foot, by bike, the rare automobile as many hovercraft were broken down.

Considering that hovercraft technology was still maybe a couple of hundred years old at the time meaning that it still had issues that a typical car would have. The engines had different designs on intake in regards to locomotion and how it started up what fueled it etc. In this the fact that their were parts that couldn't and wouldn't handle silica that was volcanic ash very well. Especially considering it starts on the outside but the deeper it works into the system the more likely it is to clog the filters somewhere or something equally important. It wasn't as efficient in such conditions which is why a lot more people used the internal combustion engine. For those who had access to one it might as well saved their lives while the hovercar after sucking in ash for so long would eventually just eventually break down after first exposure.

Ironic considering that the eruption would continue for hours after the initial one apparently just 'clearing its throat' as the cloud of ash rose to the stratosphere. If anyone was close enough to see it they would see strikes of lightning lighting up the cloud almost making it seem like something was in the center of the cloud. Something physical beyond just ash creating a eerie look as the ash was joined by rock and lava explosively the aching of rock moaning and roar of fury as it unleashed a shockwave into the sky you could see before unleashing its unholy fury. The roar of liquid magma being thrown up isn't some kind of comforting sound especially when the fiery death is attached to it. Hissing and liquidic roars from the earth mixed together as it rumbles violently.

This eruption would cause an ice age and wipe out over half of all life on Tython. If the people didn't flee to their ships when they had left the dead where they lay they too would have likely joined them in extinction. As they fled once more to the stars licking their wounds from a deadly force of nature that would not yield to any. It would spare none but the fortunate to escape its raw power and would leave plenty with the scars. As the jedi order would survive despite the early adversity but they would never be the same after they left Tython watching as their first home that was the only home that many of them ever knew.

On Ossus the grim and unlikable fellow was made the next grandmaster unfortunately the man was a battle hardened man who watched death and caused it himself at the time the title of Grandmaster was earned in a rather barbaric way. It was a good 24,000 years ago so the values were very much different than the current days after the Ruusan Reformations. Death was common, blood was spilled often as order had little meaning if no one could claim to enforce it. Even the Republic wasn't so clean cut to have the rules and enforcement necessary to police everywhere under its realm in many ways it was wild and untamed.

Still the order would survive even under the likes of a man who would be consumed by his own fatal flaws, his bloodlust, his need to control everything which caused him to clash with many. Awdrysta "Green Blade" Pina a human that looked to be in his mid fifties, his sun kissed skin and hardened visage grim. This is significant as he was bound to rules but even in the darkest of times where he acted out of spite and cruelty as he didn't want any sort of change. He may have been the grandmaster but its obvious that he ruled with an iron fisted approach to rule.

While he ruled as grandmaster the initial support he had dissipated as they saw what kind of man he really was. It's not like he was well liked rarely coming to the temple due to his grim unlikable personality. Typically the word _'democracy' _never occurred to him nor did he desire any under his command to question him . Those who did would learn the dire consequences of daring to question him, in a era before the protosaber where swords were common as slugshooters the pain that would follow those people who dared question him would be lifelong. Even his own allies the high counsel itself as well would grow to fear him much like the Irish and Cromwell.

He came to Altraa and fought a vicious spacebattle in the nebula which made the Hera'rooksarin nebula become a dangerous raging storm in the middle of a ocean, more like a raging thunderstorm. He tracked the Legions of Lattow survivors to this planet which sawe him hunt them all down because their founder didn't agree with the way he taught children. A minor disagreement a petty one at that as Grandmaster of the Order the needs of the many outweigh the few or the one. His mind was clouded by wrath and hatred caused by the control freak tendency he possessed; he was a grim sort of man who's later campaigns would ensure the fledgling Republic would see the Legions as an enemy of the state. He abused his power likely giving the republic false information so they would aid him in killing the rebellious upstarts. Unfortunately for him not everyone was so blind as the Legion still had friends in the Order who had become disillusioned with the Grandmaster who's own personal vendetta was stupid.

Unfortunately for him they were informed by their allies who watched with horror and sought their friends the altraan people. The green vaguely pseudo-reptilian esque species from the unknown regions about two feet tall, ridged nose, prominent brow ridge, unique forehead scutes, long ears , clawed hands and feet with three fingers and toes on each. Their longevity was legendary then again the altraan people weren't exactly likeable by Pina's standards. Seeing the small green species associate with these captors infuriated him to no end he's the grandmaster he is in control...he-he had no idea as the one female smirked at him, a disgusted look forming on her face. Her reddish tan skin tone was marked by dark blue markings much like a togruta; her horns were formed much like a halo and were a dark black signifying her disgust.

_Your lack of tolerance for any who are different makes me wonder if you are the false jedi. _Her voice was clear inside their heads as she walked up to them after nodding to the informant.

"I am a jedi grandmaster. I don't answer to you." Pina growled furious as he and seven others were bound in living shackles which suppressed their force primitive yet effective considering that the vines were strong as iron and seemed to block his force. Truly ingenious. Unfortunately it also didn't have the effect of making him likeable.

She glanced at the green species at her side who seemed to be translating for her as he stood beside her. They wore similar clothing due to them both being both in the same department, reds and silvers though in very different fashions she wore robes which were embroidered with nature based designs while her companion wore designs which seemed more designs based on air. He was far younger with a pale emerald colored skin tone and orange eyes which seemed to examine everyone carefully.

_Deserve it you do not. _The male spoke and it caused him pain. They know this as black sending not exactly a dark side power either. As he gasps bringing his hands to his head as he's forced to relive every death and what they felt. His heart hardened.

_False Jedi Grandmaster. _She snapped glancing at the man standing next to him, a younger man with haunted green eyes and red hair.

"_Grandmaster I'm sorry."_ The words of the knight next to him before they went into the nebula echoed inside Pina's head. _Why did he say that? Why is she looking at him appraisingly?_

To his shock she took out the master key which looked like a woven piece of wood formed like a hilt of a sword and tapped the knight known as Jurai Tor'kath shackles freeing him as they dropped to the ground.

_He made his choice. It was the right one considering what you have done. The remaining legionnaires and their families are under our protection no matter what your desires are. _She spoke very clearly telepathically and very uncompromising as she had no reason to court his ego even more.

"Forget this place should you ever return dead you will be." the green alien spoke in a coarse baritone his eyes narrowed.

"It would be wise to leave." Jurai agreed, rubbing his wrists his blue eyes showed contempt and rage for the grandmaster.

"Why would you betray me?" Pina asked shocked internally as his eyes narrowed at Jurai.

"You killed my friends and my wife!" Jurai sneered. It took a lot of balls to stand against him even more so when his punishment might be a fate worse than death. In those days it wasn't uncommon for jedi to marry nor was it discouraged

The grandmaster looked surprised before it turned to denial at having done anything wrong in his rampage despite proof being present to the contrary. Despite the proof of his wrong doing the hurt and pain he inflicted even when confronted with the fact the Togruta they were after had a small child about the age of five. Even when confronted with these hurts he inflicted not just on himself but his order and those who were by all means innocent and struck down by his cruel treatment.

"You strike down peoploe who don't agree with you Pina you don't deserve the title of grandmaster

_**Leave and delete any hyperspace routes you recorded or I will kill you without mercy you don't deserve. **_The woman roared telepathically.

As he was forced to leave the planet behind his legacy of terror and bloodlust would live on even as the tall woman watched on as the remaining followers flew away. As the remaining legionaries of lettow a single woman with her child in hand a togruta pair would always be welcome.

"Right thing you did."

Jurai nodded at the end of the day his conscience was clear the same cannot be said for Pina who will be judged for his crimes by the Gods themselves and be found wanting. He will be denied what he desires in death for you don't get away with slaughter over something petty even for those days, what he did wasn't acceptable nor was it acceptable to use the republic as a tool of his own vengeance and spite. It wasn't right to send people that you don't know to their deaths over a foe who wasn't hurting anyone over philosophical differences which is why the only survivor would be Kurai and her daughter Yuna unusual names for togruta's but their old names don't matter as there was only the now.

"_From the ashes we shall rebuild what was lost." Kurai said relieved at the turn of events._

Several thousand years have passed since those dark days Ossus fell being devastated by a supernovae caused by a fool who followed Exar Kuun. Altraa was abandoned by its people after the Devourers and leviathans as they found a new world in Wildspace known as Zathar. As the years passed they watched from their planet rebuilding anew. The descendants of the legion and those who followed it became the Grey order who would survive in secret but not always. They were a mystery to the Jedi order who left them alone for the most part.

Its no surprise that during the aftermath of the Galactic war with the Sith Empire that resulted in the republic surrender or treaty the jedi fled to Tython their temple on Coruscant left to ruin after the Sacking of Coruscant. Retreating to their old roots while they did that the Eternal Emperor Valkerion summoned his knights of Zakuul.

"I have a task for all of you." He spoke to their commander and his wife Senya Tirall.

"What is your command?"

"There is a particularly troublesome group that I have allowed to live under a old pretense of coexistence however they are no longer required. I need you to head to their temple at Hetraaths and annihilate them in their entirety."

"And the children?"

"Will become knights of Zakuul."

He bowed her head respectfully as she and her fellow knights were dismissed from the throne room. He didn't say it but they felt a certain anxiety he felt about them in his minds eye he saw one little girl who's own parents left a deep mark on him. Her mother believed the then two year old was hiding something or conspiring against her and was a very disturbed individual her father believed children like love was a sign of weakness. He didn't care for his children like he should he didn't want them to follow in his footsteps Thexxan's death was ..._regrettable _but if the force wills it than it shall be even the darkside has rules that must obeyed. He was a rare exception due to his training and own raw ability his practice with his mother in his original body helped. He mentally shook himself he wanted to turn her this Titania because of the raw strength she showed in the force was far greater than even Lord Scourge.

He didn't mention it but he knew that when they met next it would be the last time they would meet its stranger but he was fine with that. In a odd way it made complete sense to his mind no one else would stand beside him would they?

Deep down he knew she might refuse.

Even as he ordered her entire life to be destroyed and her only home she knew to burn sealing his heart away as she would scream her fury and it hurt him more than the lightsaber thrust into his chest when the time came. Seeing her wrath tasting it like a sweet poison would be perhaps worth it. Behind closed doors the emperor wept for the first time in centuries because he could no longer destroy the galaxy for immortality. What point is it with no followers willing to obey his will to rebuild what he destroyed?

There is none.

A little over decade has passed since the Grey order was nearly destroyed but much like the motto "we are unburnt". They would persevere the survivors were fortunate but their temple was destroyed by the Knights of Zakuul. With it crashed the statues of Xendor embracing Arden Lyn his lover, supporter and perhaps more. The kind face of Xenor who's was more open to new ideas beside him was the four others: Sethul Asaiage the one who discovered a way to become a force ghost speaking of 'force priestesses' who tested him his stern face belayed a wisdom as well as great sorrow, Tun Bohoi a noorian a species with bronzed skin color and eyes which were unusual being orange with four green stripes which remind some of pupils in a weird way they might have been. Tun was known for having a great sense of humor being a man who unlike the counsel found the more close minded teachings to be stifling. His statue reflected his easygoing personality as well as his status as the legions battlemaster.

With their sacrifice one managed to survive and gathered the descendants of the legion and brought them to this sacred site on the slopes of Kuria on the continent Ura. The scenic vistas were something like out of a story book the main temple was only vaguely larger than the Dantooine temple and far more unique as it had a very artistic almost arabic look to the structure instead of being imposing it was beautiful inside and out. As the masters and knights as well as the peerages who were learning under the tutelage were slain in large numbers.

They were overwhelmed by sheer force the fact that the skytroopers manufactured by the Eternal empire. As many dozens fell to the blaster fire too numerous to count. Eventually you slip up and they could no longer hold their position. The temple was never sacked like this before. The bodies of humans, nautolans,weequays, trandoshans, near-humans just kept piling up as their numbers meant little as their lightsabers couldn't save them from death.

A older master a nautolan with blue white and red markings and purple eyes that brightened like a nebula when excited. Right now the masters first concern were the younglings and the padawans who needed to flee. The dark brown haired human girl with bright green eyes and a olive pink complexion. She had dirt and grim smudged on her face as she helped her master load the last of the younglings into the cart in the lower levels of the temple which would transport them to safety. After that they were on their own.

"Master someone's coming." Titania said hoarsely trying to keep it down as they sent the last group out. Reaching out with the force the master knew that he wouldn't make it out of this he long ago foretold his own death while saving another. Anyone lesser would be terrified but he conquered his fear long ago he wouldn't let it control him. His padawan however… Titania Oberius worried him she was stubborn but astoundingly a smart girl.

"No matter what happens I need you to _**live **_Titania you have made me proud."

"Don't say those things you make it sound like your going to die!" She shouted her voice strained and filled with worry and pain.

"Raising you was a joy no matter what happens." He raised a finger under her chin forcing her to gently look up with a simple nudge.

"Only you are in charge of your fate not the Eternal Emperor Valkerion, or your asshole parents. The only good thing those two hateful individuals ever created was you. Your mother when you were found thought a two year old was conspiring against her when you had no clue what that was or even how to do something like that. Your father may have been far saner but he was by no means kinder to you. When I found you your father threw you outside telling you to not come back. In the moments of absolute disgust I was tempted to run them both through with my lightsaber after sifting through his memories passively. I decided I couldn't leave you behind."

He swallowed thickly as oily tears started to form in his eyes. _It must be said now so I have no regrets. _Master Jukat thought.

"Raising you like you deserved to be raised."

"Master I…" she was speechless.

She was just told that her master saved her from a family that hated her and was brought into one that treasured her. Now to have it all taken from her in an instant the sixteen year old watched her entire life she knew fall apart in bloody fights in the halls she grew up in stained with blood in greens, yellows and reds. The temple's most sacred statues depicting the legions of lettow founders and most important figures were collapsed on the ground.

The door and pillar upon pillar was torn asunder their entrance was explosive and would haunt her nightmares for years to come. As she hugged her master one last time before disappearing down the tunnels. She knew not how he died other than with his death his body vanished into the force itself. It was sad but his final parting gift was a bronzium and electrum masters lightsaber. It was tradition to pass down a certain lightsaber for some.

Its during these days that she learnt how to survive. Hide and steal to survive. And finding a job at a local dinner in the middle of nowhere the Starburner.

—

Nico Okarr and Titania Oberius are old friends who knew each other as children. Its little known but Nico actually is passively force sensitive not enough to do anything extraordinary except live longer and be a general badass not only that but it allows him to escape easier and judge intent. He can't do much more than that really again he makes up for it in sheer spirit and mechanical skills.

While she grew up and gained a few scars from her adventures and facing off against those who hunted down survivors of the purge mercilessly. Unfortunately for them she might have spared them once out of pity when she was younger. She wasn't so _naïve _anymore in fact to those who hunted her and others from her order they knew her by another name _hellraiser._ You wouldn't know it by looking at her a five foot seven foot tall woman.

Her cheekbones were high and her hair long framing her face. As Satele Shran sat here at a booth with a mando looking wolfhead on the booth chairs. The symbol of their order was a wolf at one point with a series of stars behind it. Even when she's hiding her force sensitive nature she is absolutely terrifying. She looked as terrifying as a dragoness and its even said that Sith respect her for reasons: cunning and wrath being prominent in there descriptions.

"What does the Jedi Grandmaster want from me?"

"Your help."

She looked shocked but for a moment.

"Surprising considering how you treat _heretics _like me. You lot aren't so high and mightie now that Pina isn't leading you with an iron fist. I'll help you but you do not order me around like you do with your mutts." She said her voice was like steel and sent shivers down the masters spine in a way no sith living or dead ever could. Because words have power and she is most vicious if she wasn't she wouldn't have survived at all.

Even as she joined them it became clear to those around them that she was clearly not going to take any shit from anyone. She knew things that she shouldn't have known as well including the portal to the world between worlds. It wasn't something that she would share with just anyone as the portal itself should it fall into the wrong hands could destroy the fabric of time as well as reality itself. Which means everything will cease including the force itself the portals aren't numerous but there are at least six in existence.

"You seem disturbed by my presence." Darth Marr said coolly the fact he wore a mask and intimidating armor had nothing to with it. A lesser woman would have found it either arousing or intimidating she couldn't care less. Its his choice he likes it? Well all the power to him. Still she has been chafing under the bit.

"You weren't responsible for our Orders destruction of that I am certain and still what worries me is if the people who are under lord Vitiate find something worse. Zildrog may have been a means of transferring life at a price of ruthless madness and murderous intent of every being on the planet. If he finds the portal to the realm between worlds then he could unravel time and unmake us all. You must not speak of this portal to any other who would use it for their own selfish reasons, the consequences would be very severe and not even the jedi are prepared to deal with them."

As she looks deeply into the holographic display of six locations that she marked on the map she tapped the Planet Lothal.

"Lothal? The backwater planet is nice but it's steeped with the light."

Satele and the Outlander came in alongside major people within the alliance. Nico Okarr included lord Scourge, and to her shock the knight of Zakuul Senya Tirall. The two locked eyes and Titania glared at Senya.

"So the former knight was laid low like you deserved." Titania spoke with clear intent to antagonize indiscriminately pleased considering that low flame in her eyes that seemed almost amused but not quite. Guarding her true emotion keeping it to herself was a good choice but something about how she moved spoke of a predator staring down a rabbit. It was truly odd to see the Grey orders only remaining "known" active member though currently in hiding trying to start something with the Knight of Zakuul specifically a former knight of Zakuul. A order with no code except to enforce justice and chose neither side typically having a preference wasn't uncommon. She knows this all too well she still has the light whip lash burns on her back alongside numerous other battle scars caused by the Zakuul knights trying to utterly destroy them. Its bad enough they took away the Grey orders younglings while the initiates in peerages weren't so fortunate nor was anyone who had a master they were learning from.

"I don't need to hear this from you." Senya growled out. Titania wasn't impressed all of a sudden the bitch decides to rebel against a monster who's barely alive could barely be considered a living thing considering his lack of empathy goes to an extreme end. He used them to his own ends for this the Knights of Zakuul made a powerful foe in the tattered remains of the Grey Order. As their numbers hid under false names all of them knew the one codenamed Wolfguard, or the Fulcrum. For the jedi nd the sith in the room it was like seeing a reflection of their own fights contained for the moment but simmering with raw hatred that much tension and hate was directed at her so much it looks like Titania wanted her to feel the suffering her order caused and make her swallow it by force. This perverted vision wasn't something they overlooked in fact the entire time she kept one hand on either her saber or blaster the entire time mostly.

Titania smirked as the woman hit Senya's weak point. Her children. Her pathetic excuses for offspring Thexxan got off easy his brother didn't losing an arm and having a disfigured face then losing his mind to the darkside. She saw him as weak their was no doubt but unlike his mother who she personally had a vendetta with she had no quarrel with other than the fact he's trying to subjugate half the galaxy. He didn't deserve his title he hadn't earned it by birth because he's pathetic his ambition is meaningless considering his own brother Thexxan was killed by his own hand

"And the death that your order has reaped has been repaid in blood." She stepped aside that dark look that she gave Senya was one that only a jedi would give a darth in combat even so that cold analytical glare lasted for only a split second before she turned her head her hair flowing like fire. Darth Marr felt the familiar trickle of pure hatred pouring from her directed at one person.

_This could get ugly really quick._

_She is formidible willed I sense much to her that isn't entirely clear, Marr. But there is something you should know._

_What?_

_Her words aren't just that I have a feeling that she is the Darth killer that has been purging the lower ranking darths who couldn't control themselves from slaughtering troops. Several survivors of the rampage of Darth Ulron upon his platoon…_

Marr internally was disgusted by such raw savagery no restraint nor brains behind it then again Darth Ulron was all brawn and no brain he was capable of a tiny glimmer of potential which is the only reason why he became a Darth at all. Desgusting man even other Sith hated him its bad when even a guy known as Darth Rampage or something or other hates him. And Rampage or whatever his name was he knows him to see him is considered one of the most terrible sith to be born in our era. Mostly because of his pure sadism goes beyond what even our brotherhood finds palpable mostly because even Scourge mentioned it once that man personally makes a four hundred year old sith pureblood want to puke from the things he does.

_Yes I recall his surviving officers saying he shaped the corpses into literal fleshy statues turning them into things that didn't resemble whoever or whatever they were originally. That part of the report had to be hard to write without one of them being ill._

_My thoughts exactly, which is why the next part is quite curious they mentioned that a woman matching Titania's description coming down like an avenging angel and striking him down while he tried to finish the remaining ten off. Apparently he enraged her enough to forego any sense of sensible planning and cut him vertically in two._

_She's done this before. Considering her knowledge of both of us she recognized both of us immediately. She likes being in control. _

"Both of you, enough! I don't care who is to blame what your two's past is with each other. The main concern is how we defeat the emperor for good." the outlander barked stepping in with a vicious snarl.

"You do realize that you likely will have to stop Vaylin as well. The question is if the princess here agrees to ending her pitiful daughter's miserable existence." Titania asked her right hand cadeling her chin a sharp look as she sat down in a nearby chair elbow on the flat surface.

"Yes we are aware of that."

"Then you are also aware of the fact that his forces are dangerously close to a certain portal which they shouldn't be allowed near."

Standing up she tapped a few buttons his scattered forces were far too close to Zathar for her tastes. Zathar never wanted anything to do with the Eternal Empire and there was a reason for that. With Arcann poised to annex the system Zathar is a part of she couldn't allow that to come to pass.

"What I am about to tell you lot you will speak of to no one or I will find you and _**end you**_ and wipe your smug grin off the face of the galaxy if you dare such a thing."

In all seriousness though she was deadly serious more so than usual she wasn't joking.

"The portal is found only in six confirmed places with the image of the Celestials known as The Son, The Daughter and Father. Each represents a side of the force, Son being the darkside, the Daughter being the lightside while father is the one who is balanced. A reoccuring theme seems to be the loth-wolves found around the image."

Showing them the image of the wall said to be the gate which unlocks the main portal.

"What we know is these portals can enter a world between worlds where the time stream is clearly vulnerable he's going to annex Zathar we cannot allow that to happen."

Tapping a few more keys bringing up the holographic display and location of the system itself known as the zeres-nemesis sector of wildspace located in the Nemesis system.

Zathar class m terrestrial planet orbiting a red star known as Nemesis third planet from the sun habitable. With two moons both habitable much like the planet below.

"We cannot …"

"Hear her out, Private Barclien," Jace Malcom said, his heavily scarred face from a grenade at close range trying to kill Darth Malgus. Who they met on the station above Korriban alongside sith Lord Vindican the thing is the fact that she was aware of this and how he received such scars alongside that highly intelligent look as he walked in with several troopers.

"I don't care if you can't or can either way if Arcann is completely beyond help then he might find the entrance if he does he could very easily change the past and the future as a result of his meddling. In the past the Grey Order sought to keep such secret because these portals could very easily in the wrong hands unmake reality. If that happens I don't believe it could be stopped so easily if at all existing in a place where the force holds no true meaning where darkness is nothing where light is meaningless all that exists is several pathways each step creates a look like your walking on black water yet the pathways are marked by white lines."

The gravity of how she knew this may have not yet sunk in as she glanced at the numerous people in the room Lord Scourge, Darth Marr, the Trooper Rose Caralan who has made her piece known the "half" twi'lek with red skin and mirialan tattoos on her lekku, a bounty hunter known for his own personal goals and sarcastic sense of humor who accompanied Darth Marr on a request of the Inquisitor who dealt with him before and was very impressed. The Human with mando'a roots who was sold by his parents for spice during hard times a act which he never forgave either parent for its said for this act that the Mandalorians turned on them. The human male likewise was an average looking human scar over his jaw no beard no tattoos visible brownish-red hair blue eyes known as Alaric. He is not to be underestimated

The Inquisitor was known for being a particularly light sided sith but do not let that fool you into a false sense of security cross her at your own risk she has long since earned Titania's respect and that is no easy feat either. She wasn't here nor was the Former Emperor's wrath who was MIA of late. Busy elsewhere in the Empire she presumed.

"Join me or not it matters little. You lot want to watch the little cocksucking bitch play emperor and possibly watch as he unmakes all of existence be my damn guest." She growled out her eyes aflame with purpose and passion her word when spoken were spoken like someone who knows how to lead. Somehow that didn't bother many except maybe Senya.

"The Eternal Empire is an infestation with no reason to exist; they live soft lives with little want or need. I hate it. Wars are made by men who wish to prove something." She looked regal as she passed by several intelligence officers and Satele said something about the force that she was no longer concealing her force. Her hands clasped behind her back.

"Men who wish to prove something go to war only to die like the vermin they truly are learning the truth of the matter is harsh even harsher to people who have to watch a fool play as emperor yet care little for governing any empire." She said her voice a rasp with so much raw emotion behind it, it was clear then that she knew far more than she let on as she spoke she glanced at Scourge.

"Men who like politicians go to war for glory and come back with thousands dead as they dream up wars for young men and women alike to _die _in like a never ending game! What is this to you some sort of bloodsport?" She spun on her heel turning to the darksiders and the lightsiders particularly glaring at them both before her gaze softened for some unknowable reason perhaps it's all an act? No she feels far too deeply. She cares despite what she says perhaps too much.

"Much like your little knights of zakuul unfortunately for you we don't die easy and unfortunately our order isn't just that of flesh and bone it is an idea and ideas are bulletproof. You may be responsible for the destruction of our order and us on the run but I assure you that this little game of yours is _over_. You wanted to make an enemy congradualations you managed to do that and repeat the same mistake the sith and jedi have been doing for centuries because the ones leading them are often insane or would love to destroy half a billion for shits and giggles. Like your leader who you obeyed like a loyal hound to his master you may not be a khnight of zakuul anymore and the only reason you or any of the survivors still draw breath is because you are still of some use and once arcaan is taken care of I'll repay the favor except I intend on doing something far more malevolent. I aint telling you but I hope that keeps you awake at night because the moment I decide that the rest of your order will suffer the same fate worse than anything your lot endured prior. Even better I'll make you watch unable to do anything as I kill your beloved remaining order,"

"You came into my den and expect my forgiveness no," She went behind senya grasping her shoulders painfully as Senya took the pain. "I expect you to watch your atonement for serving the betrayer the Immortal Chaosborn, he who devoured his own blood, as I destroy everything you wished to rebuild as I burn it to ash. You might beg for me to show mercy I will deny you that request because such pets of the immortal emperor will atone for their sins completely as I see fit but only after I see that your lot have completed your duties once you realize that I will kill every single last one like cattle to slaughter like you did us except I will spare none except those I wish to suffer immensely. Like yourself. Your pain amuses me greatly your fear is absolutely delectable." She hissed at Senya before returning to the topic at hand regaining her composure.

_Did you feel that?_

_How could I not? _

_She would have made a fine sith._

_No, she already is one and she doesn't even realize it. _

"I care not for the lies spread by either side you both are idiots even more so thinking that this will go away by holding onto what little faith you have. Faith is for the weak and deluded I've seen grown men and women consumed by a living black tar who devoured them and then toyed with the mother reuniting her with her 'child' over and over again for its sick amusement while it devoured the child from the inside out using it as a sick puppet! It was a creature who was a celestial who went wrong and turned into the liquidic creature how I cannot no dare not comprehend. By all means if anyone has a right to be insane it would be me. Your wars are remarkably petty, much like what the first schism was started over should I bring that up just to spite you Jedi?" She said glaring at Satele.

"Follow me or do not either way they will suffer for daring to attack Zathar by either mine or the inhabitants. Foolish boy doesn't realize I anticipated such a move, nothing amuses me more than irking political figures to the point of madness even more so when they actually have some fight in them." Titania said her voice spoke with power and dismissal particularly on the topic of teamwork she cared not if you joined her did not she would work alongside people and alter her plans accordingly. Surprisingly she thought better

"Aren't you going to help us?"

She smirked.

"Prove your worth and consider it I will. I do not serve the undeserving, the last time I was fool enough to trust someone totally without fully understanding was when I was seventeen and all alone."

"Wasn't your mother the gilbering fool who believed her own family was conspiring against her? You resemble her a great deal except the obvious lack of insanity and severe mental health problems." Sayna said after a moment of deep thought bringing up the foggy memory of the madwoman being tormented by the emperor Valkerion himself before he consumed the life from her.

"Mad yes hated me pretty much my father saw me as weak and weakness like children couldn't be allowed which is how I was found. The main species on Zathar is capable of telekinetic cutting thankfully only using this in dire emergencies for defensive purposes pray that you never have to see it. They are an extremely long lived race longer than even the selphi and when it comes to their home they will defend it violently to the last. They aren't considered adults until they are in their late forties granted by then their full muscle growth sand bone density hardens being hit by one of them and have them mean it is like being hit by a train. I've been in fist fights before even with those of the sith species who are probably one of my favorites but the zatharians… their version of 'training' is nearly killing you in creative ways. Typically bloodlessly. Survive or die trying."

"And what of their race?"

"Horned, each horn is unique in position and appearance starts to grow in around age sixteen late onset of puberty at latest also shows emotional state by color. Clawed hands claws are nails harder than stone and easily capable of drawing blood, highly telepathic some of them find this mutated to something else. They aren't too fond of jedi who left them with a very poor impression specifically Grandmaster Awydrysta Pina considering he went on a rampage across the galaxy using the fledgling republic as his instrument of such vengeance over a minor disagreement on teaching methods. Petty immensely petty. The zatharians lived on Altraa and lets just say the battle in the nebula turned it into an eternal storm and his lot crash landed on Altraa where a member of the former legion of lettow was hiding with her only child. The records said five of the people went with him to a village only to kill everyone within and burning it to the ground to the horror of the remaining two."

"That's why many people don't realize that Pina had people who didn't agree with him severed after being marked. Where do you think the First Shadows came from? They didn't just appear they were his brain child considering the terror he would reep who was the tyrant and who wasn't? He purged any record he didn't approve of and people couldn't speak plainly against him lest they be force severed by him and terrified high counsel who feared him more than anyone else. Keep that in mind Satele if you dare speak to them be sure to be courteous and polite or you might find yourself quite headless or with the lower half of your body's entrails flowing on the floor." she told Satele, recalling her own dislike for immense cruelty considering the circumstances of her upbringing it was justified. She shuddered at the thought finding it very gruesome

Did she just shudder? Its unexpected that someone who could be so threatening could be somehow so ...

"Are you squeamish?" Darth Marr asked truly surprised at a sudden revelation he didn't take her for being squeamish. A odd trait considering his sinking suspicion

"No I just ...don't like looking at it in extremes again for reasons. It leaves an impression especially if the corpses were mutilated to begin with. There are many things I don't like, giant spiders being number one, my aunt Ari, Sarlacc's and of course rathtars." She mentioned she was going to mention how she had once escaped hunters who wanted to end her but thought better of it as it was neither the time nor place for it

"Rathtar? Why Rathtar's?" The mercenary asked an amused smirk on his face granted he was wearing a helmet but the force sensitive and those who knew him well enough knew he was

"You don't want to know." She said gravely giving the mercenary a look that if you so much as flinch I will strike you down because you irritated me. Her relationship with

It involved her transporting about three Rathtar aboard a ship and well they got loose and she barely escaped with her life its no different than the time she outran a summa-verminoth except with more screams and creepy yellow eyes following her wherever she went. That was back when she still had her XS stock light freighter Behemoth before she had to sell her to pay off some debt actually all of it. She learnt her lesson a painful one she might just steal some of the imperial tech then again she did steal a Fury class ship from a low ranking Darth who had a tendency to kill troops who displeased her. Carefully watching and waiting for Darth Syrena as well as gathering as much data as she could before she struck Fury classes like that one weren't easily boarded disabling the engines from being able to go to hyperspace with a device that was much like a circular explosive which it was planted their prior to taking off. She enjoyed the fight with the crew but Darth Syrena was begging for mercy after hours of being left with an interrogation droid after Titania got bored with the fight she was having with her. She was hoping the low brow sith had _some _measure of skill or at least enough to challenge her unfortunately she seemed only capable of viciously killing entire groups of force-blind individuals because they couldn't accomplish said task because of incompetant leaders like her.

"Lets hope that you lot are far more interesting than that lowbrow barely a darth stupid welp Darth Syrena. If you aren't well you're lucky I'm not evil then?" She spoke suddenly and just as soon as she came she was gone. There was a deadly edge to her tone even so nothing comes without a price and sometimes the price to be paid is higher than the steel that it is wrought in. Her words speak truth yet burn fiercer than any goddamned fire and that is what's terrifying she has no chip in her shoulder her words are spoken without a coldness found in the dark nor warmth found in the light. She is neither. And nothing terrified her more than the look she caught. It was a look of intent that if she stepped out of line she would be dead like Master Pina except she would make sure the Grandmaster knew her wrath. They had heard only rumors of her executing the lower ranked petty darths she had all but confirmed such a theory: she was deadlier than an inquisitor.

"You don't think-?" the mercenary began, Nico interrupted apparently sitting in the background watching all this unfold before him.

"No I know so she killed numerous sith she mentioned seventeen of the best inquisitors she has ever dueled falling to her hand and four other jedi though she never said why they died though with her it's pretty clear they were either being asses or being particularly bothersome. She can be quite ornery and a complete asshole. That…"He motioned to the door as he walked forward.

"Was her being nice, to complete strangers she doesn't trust. The only reason she's staying is because of me and she likes fighting as pointless as she claims it is. She's been fighting for every scrap she gets since the order burnt to the ground believe me when I say only the smart survive in wildspace all alone. Betray her and you will burn that much is certain."

For now the planning was underway while Titania got to work on her captured fury-class ship she saw a strange orange symbol in her vision that looked like a stylized starbird along with a ship she never would have imagined were ever built. Painting the said logo on the aerlions of her fury now rechristened in the blood of her foes but now calmer she rebranded it "Dragonheart".

Defeating the emperor's ghost was one thing but the way the ghost incorperial as he was towards Titania Oberius was very unsettling their was a warmth their as well as desire a sad kind knowing he would never have that. He spoke of the outlander being worthy but he had no idea that the fight was in the center of the outlander's mind which allowed him to take over hosts before. Granted the road was long and hard to get to this point already was harder than anything the jedi has ever undergone or their allies.

"Outlander fight him!"

The Outlander heard Titania over these past couple months the two got to know each other and became less prickly like a cactus. Fighting in the center of the mind the jedi would managed to use a holocron containing the tortured soul of Tenebrae's father and even gaining the aid of Vaylin who was pleased to finally have a choice for once before she vanished into the force after they helped kicking Valkerion out of the Outlanders head.

When the Outlander finally came back to reality Titania cried tears of joy a rarity. As she hugged the Outlander fiercely crying tears of joy for the first time in years she could live without fear.

_You're okay? Thank goodness! _

She would later rebuild the Grey Order; the temple was rebuilt sure but it would no longer be the main one. Her choice of a new temple on a certain planet called Zathros was a solid one, the planet was charted by the Jedi and the Sith decades prior. Zathros was a class m terrestrial planet habitable with no intelligent life and while the wildlife and flora is interesting its not enough to order any sort of extensive studies or have any xenobiologists stay behind to study it. Simply put the creatures are very average and lethal as they need to be in respect for the carnivores and well adapted for their environment usually. The flora well other than the usual poisonous mushrooms alongside normal edible ones, plants, and poison ivy-esque plants that you shouldn't eat or smoke for that matter**. Nothing really unusual it was a stable planet.

For the most part at least. It is here after exploring the planet she would rebuild the order except this time she would blend ideals from dark and light allowing them a choice in the sacred path. Combining the old sigil with a new one not with a gear but a stylized krayt dragon which Darth Marr approved of. The design itself spoke of both ends of the spectrum as the blue bird rose between them, tail feathers long and flowing. The stylized bird had wings raised above each. Its through her that the form of government was formed the sith were wild untamed and free so instead of a counsel they will have a parliamentary system the information chain will be hard to set up but perhaps a computer can aid with this?

Building the building to fit the theme without being overwhelming was something else but cooler more neutral colors didn't seem to clash too badly either. Eventually when it was finished Darth Marr and Lord Scourge took a tour of the building finding the cooler atmosphere of the part of the sith side much to the history and the liking of the Sith Lords. It had a nicer less imposing atmosphere that could be stifling on Korriban even the jedi who came commented on how well the two get along. She mixed the two very well and travelled all over finding several rare types of trees and plants that really added to the whole atmosphere of light and dark. Including a type of tree with red leaves that gives off a aura of melancholy and grief yet it wasn't overwhelming enough for anyone to kill themselves over.

The creamy grey bark was rough like your average american red oak like a ghostly tree with eternally red leaves bright red, when it blooms the flowers are a pale lavender and smells like happiness. It weeps a deep crimson sap. The plants within the sith version of a meditation room give off a sort of grey air in the living force. There is only about a handful of plants that give off an aura of pain or something similar naturally peppered in the room at tasteful locations which are far enough away from each other to not overwhelm someone while maintaining the right level of growing conditions they love.

There is even a lake with fish which are stocked every so often because of a feeling that some might want to go fishing. She thought of the hardship one has to go through to become a sith so perhaps they should focus stronger on survival skills? The sith were surprised and approved greatly knowing that even if the sith order fails as she has foreseen their culture will survive. Their way of life will survive in a way which was maintainable without creating another monster like Nihilius or Valkerion. What moved everyone who visited was the statues in the solarium from the barsan'tor, to the sith that helped stop the emperor, the outlander and most of all they noticed something else.

"Did you carve these yourself?"

"Yes, I find it relaxing."

"These are beyond finely detailed."

"Sometimes the simple pleasures are worth the effort as our people are in your debt. The dead have been avenged and can rest easy knowing the monster is dead."

"This ...how long have you been doing stuff like this?"

"Since I was around five my master of my peerage encouraged it when I first tried it out. I wasn't good at first but eventually I got good at it."

She captured their likeness and personality what's weird is she also somehow managed to give them unique force signatures. Identical to the person who it depicts.

"How did you manage to match our force signature?"

"I know you that's how. Its just hard to describe."

—

Even millennium later her name inspires fear and respect for jedi and Sith who hide in plain sight. Its the night of Grey's Birth when Yoda has a vision unclear and uncertain of a woman with black and red horns upon her brow. Lightsaber drawn eyes determined and lips drawn into a snarl behind her were younglings and… hatchlings of his own race?! But then the vision shifts suddenly as a man of our race tries his best to save his brother only to look over his shoulder and see an army of undead soldiers wearing white armor.

'Brother get up! We need you!'

The vision shifted again to a more romantic one under the stars a wedding? Its overshadowed as the vision changes revealing sith hunting younglings.

Yoda's eyes opened.

***I actually did research on volcanic eruptions and its fascinating stuff. Of note is Tambora is the reason for the year without a summer causing over 10,000 deaths on the island directly with only two survivors who gave their accounts. Around the Indonesian isle another 20,000 died due to starvation and a tsunami that was caused by it.**

****As a general rule if its a vine and has a sheen to its leaves or just a normal plant don't eat it especially in relation to any species of the Poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. If you don't know what it is don't eat it **

**Anyway a good rewrite all around.**

**If you guys are wondering, I actually based Pina off of his actual legends counterpart with the little background information I was given and considering what he did despite the era and thus the values being very different. I made him feared in fact one could say that Xendor was the true meaning of what it is to be a grandmaster despite his use of the darkside they never commited the same level of atrocities that the later Sith Order might. Not just because they weren't given the chance but because Xendor had the leadership and ability to be open minded it's this reason that it is assumed by me that they truly would have never fully turned away from the light. Basically he was the first maverick the first likely grey jedi or at least someone who attempted to understand the force more than a stubborn traditionalist order would. The studying of other force traditions and incorporating multiple beliefs into your own allows individuals to grow in ways they couldn't before. Pina's actions are actually not as far reaching as you may think though his rigidity would plague the order on and off for millennium after his demise against the last of the legionnaires. **

**Of note as well admittedly I don't think well on my feet or on the fly its not something I've ever really developed. As you've may have noticed Titania gets off topic very easily personally real life conversations often do the same. Also this plot point might come back up eventually after I'm done rewriting everything. **


	2. What lies below

I own nothing

**Rewrite on chapter 2 admittedly I wished for more of a backstory on how the heck does Yan Dooku knows Yavanna and her husband Yan-Quon. Also this chapter is a three parter for those of you who hate chapters like that, sorry. Also I tried to clean this chapter up but then lost all my progress when Fanfiction crashed. So your getting cleaned up retry number two. **

—-

"_Rage seldom is something that can be contained in a bottle without consequences. The emotions and reasons for its existence come hand in hand." Fae Coven, former Grandmaster of the Jedi Order_

Chapter one- What lies below part I

On the other end of the galaxy in the unknown regions of space in the beta sector while the story of the Old Republic has long since ended another begins. The Old Republic will be remembered by its efforts to stop the Eternal Empire and Valkerion. Its scars are deep as stone and while those who lived through it may be gone the scars remain. As above a quaint town in a valley are ruins with the children running around the mossy ruins unbeknownst to them the old statue which was in the center of the ruins mossy but rather unchanged lasting longer than the ruins it is in without changing. The Eternal Emperor Lord Valkerion stood unyielding against time and erosion unlike the ruins surrounding it. The stern faced man in life refused to just die in statue form he looks out of place eternally waiting for something that will not come to pass, not now not ever again so they swore.

**_They failed._**

As children laugh as they play hide and seek in the ruins of a building that in the past was a part of a brutal conflict which nearly consumed the galaxy over three thousand years past. In its glory days it was a spectacular building, one of beauty befitting the Eternal Empire as a protectorate state of Zakuul. Again a choice which wasn't a bad one as the people were provided for getting a stipend of fuel and money. The building, while once a small one compared to others under its belt was equally lovely in its heyday;however, nothing lasts forever. The building was just one of a series that was raided and what they found inside was too horrific to describe other than it involved the Rakghouls and other experiments that would curdle your blood. What's odd about the entire thing was that the children seemed to be blurring like they were running too fast or perhaps time was moving differently from the observers perspective.

_**A fallen Empire built on blood will not be denied faded from memory perhaps but never forgotten not fully at least.**_

The Eternal Alliance destroyed the facility after raiding it and the contents of the facility's lower levels were sealed away it was later be abandoned the darkness within brought to light and the evil gone at last. The relics within destroyed the last of the blood and certain evil wiped away from this land still for a blink in time it contained a lot of vileness which could count as its own sort of symbolic Darkside Nexis. All of this is no more almost seemingly washed away by cleansing rain from an alliance that has long ago disbanded its purpose served and mission complete to those who knew it fondly in those years, all that would remain over the centuries afterwards would gradually be taken over by nature. Eroded away or rotted away it makes little difference all would be consumed in time. As you can tell all that remains are stone ruins crumbling. Children unaware or perhaps they don't know all but one who freezes before the statue aged yet seemingly untouched by the efforts of time to make it yield to its power. A young girl with fair skin that shows a bit more of a red hue to it with light blue freckles almost bioluminescent just slightly. Her brows were marked by a light blue pigmentation which went up her forehead much like the markings of a Togruta. Her green eyes saw much but as she froze she must've seen something, her brown hair that moved like water rippling like it in the wind accented the sudden change in her expression.

That child was no child at all as the very image shifted and shattered revealing a comely woman whose curling brow markings formed a diamondbacks marking curious indeed. Her height went from childlike to her adult height almost like a vision 5'10 ½" not counting her twin curved horns coming from the crown of her head slightly curved like a halo. Looking as if the ivory was dipped in golden paint at the tips of each horn graceful and commanding narrower than a male of her species yet displayed no such emotion . An adult Zatharian who looked at the statue as if she herself has seen the terror he caused ignoring the sudden silence as the laughter of children stops. Sudden and frightening the silence was to her it was almost jarring as day turned to night instantly as the darkness yeilded to one a man who she noticed immediately a man cloaked in greys and blues a Shastavanen who had tormented her mother Lorai turning her into a mindless puppet trapping her inside her own head while he controlled her. The Shistavanen was only in appearance to be one his parents were notably of two seperate species hence the reason he was a powerful telepath and why his fur seemed to be purple in places. The Grey Order member broke every code the darksiders stand by and did so right under the Parliaments nose and fourty people paid the price for such brazen defiance.

_**Yet even amongst loss their is something among the broken pieces **_

She turns around and finds herself on a planet that was brutally hot and full of volcanoes with the roars of lava spewing out revealing two forms grown men fighting in the distance what she saw the one do and say even from a great distance away over the roar of a volcano would be something she would _never _speak of to _anyone. _At least that was her plan how quickly do plans change over time don't you agree? She's looking over a planet a moon to be precise overlooking and in orbit of NaJedha a planet with large crystal formations and pink oceans hiding a secret deep within its crystal formations perhaps keeping a secret from everyone? The desert moon was chilly due to its prolonged winter above it was a round object of imaginable power untested and almost radiated a certain power and wrath within its very confines. Someone within was all too eager to do something deadly as she watched in abject horror as large laser hit Jedha city splitting the moon in two, igniting the kyber crystals causing an actual reaction which proved to be quite explosive as a result she can only watch in abject horror. The force screams but its not quite the force no these were the screams of those on the planets surface reaching out and in their final desperate moments she felt undiluted agony and terror of their fates being determined by something so brutal. She could only watch as the moon could no longer take anymore and part of it broke in half the once stable moon was rendered uninhabitable in mere seconds as everything died you can try to cover that up all you want but she turned her head away at last and closed her eyes weeping for those who didn't make it.

_**The force remains silent yet even still shadows of the past beyond you are making themselves known a certain evil awaits you waiting to devour you in its waiting jaws.**_

Suddenly as she regains herself she realizes something she's not in a ship she recognizes immediately the grey halls are very reminiscent of Imperial design one that hasn't been directly seen by the Republic but she doesn't live in the Republic. Seeing such ships based on designs unseen by the Republic and improving upon Eternal Empire designs which were the basis of much of their later ships out here. Still a certain something spurred her to run down the halls as the entire ship seemed to shake from impacts of stellar battles what drove her onwards was her following the abilities she possessed which allowed her to find people or perhaps what she needed to find. Even as the light flickered on and off menacingly turning the silvery halls a menacing yellow or red as the backup lights came on some just didn't stay on the force drove her to a door

"Come on you bastard!" She snarls her voice a growling rasp fear evident in her voice as she pounds on the door. Which opens suddenly revealing someone within a person within a hyperbaric chamber someone who was deeply effected by his own poor choices in life. She could tell that much his own lack of limbs all four of them were cut off quadriplegic he had the same sort of feeling in the force that her mother did. She couldn't describe the feeling as she felt the force not with her head no her heart the depths of the force could tell you much if you bothered to delve into it like diving into a deep pool of water yet being able to breath inside of the water and understand it. The depths of which she delved allowed her to feel that her mother was like this person despite the fact he was human. He didn't see her not really its strange but then again the level of hollowness suggested he was absolutely miserable. Depressed perhaps? Something about him seemed to be broken beyond his suit and artificial limbs and burnt hide the reason for him using such a chamber was confusing but surely it would come to her..._eventually._

The force probed her menacingly demanding that she find her answers before its too late the force has always been pushy for her, being the child of one who was born to the Force tends to have that effect on you. Her mother had no physical sire and this caused much strain between her parents who loved her but her father figure saw her and didn't love her as much as he could have. He saw her as a mistake she should have been his biological child instead the force did its own thing and took that from him. She shook her head getting those nastier thoughts out of her head alongside her _step-grandfathers malicious sneer _as he overlooked her when she nearly died at age twelve from a hiking accident his horns glittering red as he stood in front of the sun his form looking like a being of pure shadow. Shuttering the image was forced away with her screaming at it to leave her right now shoving it in a box and throwing at the back of her head metaphorically.

Suddenly the figure and room vanished and she was transported elsewhere on the ship itself angered that she couldn't receive more information in her distraction it no longer mattered anymore. Her time with him was up and the force made that clear.

'You thought we were gone? You are a fool.' A dark rasp coming from nowhere yet everywhere Darth Malgus hoarse menacing growl is truly unmistakable.

"Come out child… I don't bite…" the hypnotic female voice said soothingly if you were to compare it to anything but silver it would not do it justice. The voice was likely that of Darth Traya a former Jedi Master from millennium ago who was cast out as a scapegoat a decision which the jedi order would come to **dearly **_regret _years later.

**Truth is seldom clear and clarity will never be achieved not truly, our menace our lust for vengeance is never a reason or a means we merely are as darkness will always simply be. We cannot be purged from society not fully as long as darkness exists we will thrive. The truth is closer a lie spoken long ago unknown to the casual observer find the answers you must or hope might just die. Consumed by wrath the rare chosen may be stop this eventuality you must.**

"Are you afraid? I believe you are." Another voice spoke a taunting soprano said to another her light whip with multiple tails ablaze with power. As she ran down a black tunnel hoping for something perhaps akin to answers

Blocked off coming to a dead end in the cargo bay she heard something activate behind her. The familiar snap hiss activation of a lightsaber followed by several more she turned and saw the golden blades intermixed with them was red, purple and black. But beyond this were the fact that she was in the ruins of something that didn't make sense like the Grey Order temple melded with the Jedi Temple in this moment she was made uneasy as she realized she didn't have her own lightsabers.

"Why would I be afraid?!" She demanded

"You should be." The female voice said menacingly revealing herself to be…

The vision vanished before her was the Jedi Grandmaster Awdrysta Pina the man bore an imposing figure he was aging but his face bore plenty of scars his eyes originally a stormy sea foam green were blazing red overtaken by a certain level of evil. His own overzealousness his own need to control the jedi led to his own choices to come his own alteration of the records even making a few truths disappear those who knew are dead by his own hand. He may have adhered to the rules of the jedi order but their was a reason why he was seldom planetside on Ossus mostly because he wasn't a pleasant man to be around daily wandering the galaxy his fury renown and his ability to spin a terrible lie about the Legions of Lettow to a young Republic allowing him to garner enough support to destroy what he deemed a threat to his own hold on power. Its not that he was chosen for his own ability to lead he had proven his leadership abilities no he was made grandmaster out of fear. He ruled the temple with fear when he did come "home" everything had to be to his liking something that was rather off-puting even controlling but at the time what choice did they have? This was a man who could use morichro which if used approperiately could be a powerful user with responsibility on how its used.

Pina wasn't a man known for kindness his face was marred not that he was handsome even in his youth his harshness bled through his appearance was hard his jawline spoke of a certain ire destined to break through. His eyes were daring her to strike against him as he bore his twin katanas glowing green due to the green crystals on its force-imbued hilt at the ready. As she flinced he shot forwards suddenly she realized that something about him wasn't right flashing to something else she watched in a sort of facination as he fought another opponent with blinding speed in a courtyard the other jedi especially the older jedi seemed to be wary even a few looked afraid. As she saw something akin to punishment …she looked on as she saw him as nothing more than a monster hiding in the dark she already knew this but never the full extent of what kind of corporal punishment he would give to jedi under him. Those who disobeyed werre punished horrifically some seemed to find such a punishment of fighting him armed with only a staff between his hands this was sadistic and demented. As she eventually lunged at her and struck true looking down as the blade peirced her blood spilling down it as he twisted causing greater agony she tasted blood on her teeth a death by a green blade.

_**He's not as dead as you would think. **_

* * *

Yavanna Patton's eyes opened revealing herself to be in her room inside her family's ship. The purple walls of the bulkhead painted, the plush throw rug on the floor, the various odd knicknacks she kept with her, the lights were off giving a lot of the various shapes a menacing look. The darkness wasn't enough of a terror for some you just had to add in the unknown evils hiding within it. Sitting up throwing off her blankets from the bed she wouldn't be able to sleep the rest of the night. Even if technically there is no literal 'night' in space itself.

Either way she figured that she might as well get up and the zatharian herself was in the late stages of her 'path' training in the Grey Order. Which basically meant she was still tied to a master who had yet to teach her everything that she needed to know. Unlike a typical jedi ceremony 'knighting' can only be done once they have faced themselves and others like them. Which means that a journey must be taken and it must be with the approval of the master because this journey is one they will make alone. To join the Ranks of the Path of the Wayfinders she must overcome adversity overcome her own issues in using her wayfinding abilities in large cities and crowds of people as well as keeping control over her own force. She's always had issues with losing control over her own abilities when she is rushing or panicking or having a panic attack.

It's not a vision quest either; this journey is based on what they will face and try to overcome. Likewise her fear of the Republic is quite pathetic really as she's never been there so her fear isn't entirely justified. Ironically she was sent to Coruscant and told to detail how the planet exists currently in this state, this is not how she wanted to overcome her fear but being dumped on the planet basically. Not to fend for herself but to gain full control to overcome her own handicap on finding her way around large cities which are unlike her home on Zathar which are a bit less honeycomb and a bit more environmentally conscientious than the politicians of the time before this planet had everything go extinct because of this planet being turned into a massive planetwide city. The city was layered and hard to navigate especially for her she didn't grow up in such a confusing city each level had its own districts the most dangerous being the Undercity proof that sometimes the lack of maintenance can lead to shoddy lighting, some parts of the Undercity are bathed in eternal darkness have no power or even running water. Their are limits to how much you are willing to push industrialization especially at the expense of others how are you going to police that? How are you going to stop a fire if it spreads out of control and you don't have enough manpower to put it out?

Severe issues with having a large city this big its harder and harder to maintain order and easier for police to become corrupt the lower the level they are on though the uninhabitable levels aren't spoken of and supposedly their are some flesh eating mutants near level 0. Which are astoundingly hard to kill some might call them zombies which isn't an incorrect terminology either considering they eat people, though some races are known to eat other sentient races as a sort of delicacy which she finds absolutely horrific. As she unpacked one might notice she lacks any real character for the various pieces of furniture dotting the apartment she had datapad's everywhere a slicing droid close by beeping its indignity of being packed up like a pile of clothes and left inside a moving box of all things. Like that's the worst thing he's been put through during their missions together.

'You have horrible taste in deciding to suddenly unpack me you fickle Zatharian!' He beeped frustrated the grey droid flailed around before huffing in the way only a droid could do and going to the adjoining guest room from the living room area which he declared as his. The slicing droid was a homemade droid that her mother made her for a particular mission their was only one like him and their would be no other like Fresas after him. He was rather pushy much like her mother used to be now not so much as she picked up a old holophoto frame showing images downloaded onto it in full color her mother and father was in the first one they were happy back then. Her parents would seperate later on after the incident after her father couldn't move past what his wife had done thus the devorce. Which meant now her mother really was at her lowest point. She wanted to stay behind and help her mother overcome everything her humiliation was bad enough having to face the order who basically raised her after her own mother lost whatever sense she had and tried selling her other children for drugs because of her worthless husband getting her addicted to them after the last child was born.

Amelith Patton deserved her fate as having her horns shorn showed the world her shame or more precisely ensured that she would never harm her daughter ever again Gregory her father did it himself enraged at her attempt to sell her own children. Doing such ensures that they cannot activate their natural telekinetic vectors ever again still even after all that being put into the Grey Order was a good thing. She would never turn on it her own kindness and gentleness would never allow it but with her mind being broken as it was emotionally she was a trainwreck after being freed by the Grandmaster Itcharian at a price of his own life to free her from being locked away inside her own head by a new brand of sith alchemy termed specifically forbidden mental arts yes they knew how to use it but to use it was wrong unless their was no other choice. He freed her but the cost was _"too high"_ after all Grandmaster Itcharian raised her and when her new master took her on he was basically everything neither of her parents ended up being. The Lasat/wookiee hybrid was a powerful man belayed by his own sense of goodness and tolerance to be the reason he was gone broke her emotionally more than realizing what she did in her pain her four dragonic looking curved horns two main ones and two smaller ones they were rougher looking than the smaller two which were lower on her head near her ears the other were the main two and curved backwards like a drawn out s shape. In her dispair she ended up releasing her vectors without thinking and ended up cracking her right horn permanently damaging the channels within the horn itself.

Being given paid for in advance lodgings on the better sector in the upper middle district Mor'saritat apartments specifically 3456 block C. It's one thing being in a city it's another to be in ecumenopolis like this built on layer upon layer of lack of empathy for destruction of natural resources and the environment that people live in. First day she was here she decided one thing: _I hate the skyline_. Also she hates heights.

Over the next week she got up and dealt with Coruscanti people even gradually mingling at least until she got the hang of getting around or more precisely using her wayfinding to find particular objects on her mind and allowing the force to guide her steps to what she's looking for. Small steps but progress especially considering it allowed her to navigate easier at first she just tried finding a diner or a grocery store to refill her kitchen the works before long she would be able to find certain items the more comfortable she got with the "background noise" believe me their was a lot of it even if the street was abandoned she would always 'hear' it through the force. Its when she came across a familiar stench of azanti and a police do not cross hard light line blocking civilians from entering a certain area designated as a crime scene with five officers and three analysis droids scoping out the scene he neck stretching slightly as she tried to see what was going on beyond the foul smell of anzati that every self respecting Zatharian knew immediately. They may never cross one but better safe than sorry right which is why every zatharian is given classes in anzati identification specifically.

It would take some time but she would need to recenter herself in her apartment before she would be able to track them down with a level of brutal efficiency it is the duty of a zatharian to put down drugaddicted anzati as they were completely inedible to the anzat who ate the "soup of luck" its a terrifying thought why they would need those proboscis's. She knew deep down the reason they had them was truly too horrific to be anything they might teach in actual science class or xenobiology what they end up getting addicted to is cerebral fluid their proboscis's are drawn to the safest rout without permantly maiming and killing the victim immediately too quickly to harvest the cerebral fluid within. It also means that its good at locating where the cerebral fluid is being produced as it rarely just builds up in the brain "water on the brain"* being completely curable by this point in time still anymore detail in how this works makes her ill. Though it also means they are addicted to a bodily fluid which is quite fucked up to get much less harder to get to than blood might be like vampires except these people are the true monsters unlike vampires they are a force to be feared. Soon enough she started tracking down Anzati becoming successful as she followed the pathway the force gave her leading her through the city the quickest route.

Within an abandoned warehouse which was dimly lit by yellow bulbs above four anzati was four jedi padawans if their braids were anything to go by their was a Twi'lek female her skin was a pale blue, a ikkarian female darker olive skin she looked rather older probably nearly ready to be knighted herself she looked rather hypnotized due to the abilities of the anzati being very effective on jedi and force sensitive, the last of which was a white haired human male who was being shielded by a red mon calamari female wearing the jedi robe the sleeves were cut off violently likely trying to avoid being caught. Smarter than usual that one but being tied in force restraining cuffs didn't help them these lot were clever despite needing a fix sooner than later. Those who killed the force sensitive especially anzati gained more notoriety and became harder to take out perminantly.

She fingered her own sabers sneaking into the warehouse silently concealing herself through the force climbing up into the rafters durasteal beams above hiding in the shadows gracefully like a cat. The skills of a zatharian by very nature make the females more limber which made her sliding around slinking around with gracefulness above her three lightsabers on her belt one of them being a tonfa green with grey core her main favorite with two normal lightsabers the hilts just being two different colors one was blue and the other was silver the difference was in the blades the silver one had a ghostfire crystal which made it near translucent and silent when it activates

_I need you to close your eyes. Yavvana spoke telepathically. _Glancing between the four Anzati their proboscis drawn disgustingly from their cheek pouches making her internally give them a disgusted look.

_Who— _one of them spoke telepathically concerned and very female likely the mon calamari_._

_I am here to help but don't draw attention to me. _she said. Internally groaning of course they would go after force sensitive padawan teens which makes their rescue all the more important.

Right now using the force to keep them from going any farther than she wanted them to unclipping the silver lightsaber she quickly steels herself shattering the lights within the warehouse the natural light fading as darkness was fast approaching and through the few places that natural light drifted in was few enough to allow her an an advantage as she had her chance after she killed the lights launching herself down activating the saber midjump aiming true.

She knew they might be reckless but to steal the padawans lightsabers was audacious even for anzati. With no training in how to use them granted someone who has had fencing or swordsmanship lessons might have an advantage above the rest but as far as she knew these men were not those lot. As they activated the lightsabers of the teens. The one closest to her lunged first the lightsaber was yellow she easily cracked the blade using her one hand before redirecting his blade to the left away from her. Absorbing the energy made the blade look like it was burning away in disruption its not a hard move just a unique application in itself of the simplest and most common uses of the force in existence.

Activating the other lightsaber of hers after putting away her silver hilted blade the blade was lavender with a burnt copper core an unusual coloration in itself as many people have noted. Its rather odd that she used to actually be pathetic at lightsaber combat she just never could wrap her head around it till her master came around and taught her your normal run of the mill swordsmanship which saw everything really click into place before they really switched back to lightsabers after she really gotten the hang of your training sword which wasn't the typical training lightsaber used either no he had her train with a wooden sword to get her trained in their use with actual swordsplay before they went back and started training again with the lightsaber. For some strange reason the method worked to help her understand how it worked.

The other three brought their lips into a snarl. It should be noted while they are nearly identical to humans they do have ridges around their nostrils which are main identifiers on their race. Again Anzati and her own kind never got along even less so considering they can't drink the "soup of luck" from them because they release a hormone which makes this taste terrible or in some cases: lethal. Let that sink in for a bit. This soup if you will is something that they need cheek pouch hidden proboscises which go up the nose and start drinking something... because the alternate cannot be mucus the only other option would be the cerebral fluid. It does circulate around the brain acting as a sort of cushion without it we would certainly die.

Quite disturbing to wonder why the hell they would have this _specific _adaptation when they can become addicted to the stuff simply put depending on what species they feed off of the effects can be quite different. Like a different flavor in a weird way it only adds to the fact that they see nearly everyone as **food **and a **drug **which like cocaine will kill them eventually. She glares at them a deep animalistic rumble deep in her chest making itself known. Like two vicious predators in the savanna one who sees the other as a menace to its continued survival and the other who sees it as a danger to those who are innocent. While the Anzat may think themselves top dog because of many people believing them to be myths told to younglings to get them to behave, they aren't there is one that they fear that could easily kill them that could turn the tables on everything they knew.

They moved like predators unaware that the tables have truly turned and now their so called prey wasn't on their mind she could finish this easily the closest one had the blue blade he hesitated a perfect opening. She cut off the arm holding the 'saber flipped over his shoulder and on the way down after correcting her position using the force itself she stabbed him in the before pulling the blade out in quick flourish as he felt his life flash before his conclusion his life wasn't worth much this final revelation meant nothing as he didn't go out kicking and screaming but with barely a whimper. The last two tried to escape only to find with a swift movement some durasteel rafters came crashing down upon the both of them due to using the force to quickly move her lightsaber to cut a piece off the one rafter and then use it to make them suffer. More precisely using the lightsaber and her own vectors at full power making them glow with excitement a green with a golden line in the side on each horn if they had gotten close they would have seen her sclera turn black turning the durasteel into shards as the metal groans and his as it seemed to do more than just break for some reason it heated up thanks to the precision cutting of her lightsaber. While the one was dragged back and had his neck snapped by the force the other found himself impaled by sharps of durasteel a fitting end for someone who fed on a child though it probably wasn't wise to kill him so violently in front of teenagers.

She went to the shaken teens and young adults all four of them one of which was human male who looked rather out of it due to being fed on recently. Handing the padawans who had their lightsabers nicked back after freeing them from their force binders. Her horns shifted to alarming orange out of concern for the one kid who was out of it after ensuring they were mostly okay she would help them get home.

"Lets get you guys home." She said after they managed to gather their composure. Agreeing as much as she helped them get home rather past their own curfew much to their own masters eternal worry and ire for some one in particular didn't want his padawan anywhere near a Zatharian she took it in stride. Those kinds of people exist everywhere in the galaxy.

"Yeah that would be for the best." the mon kala said solemnly. As they ventured back to the temple district not noticing the familiar chill that seemed pulse like a quasar from the temple and not the good kind. Its a ancient feeling that clawed at her like a ravenous beast unsettling her as she walked up the stairs escorting the jedi's own kith back to their homes. Entering the building was epic having her doing a circle taking in the sheer magnificence and that's just after the main doors. Eventually shaking off the wonder though she does take in all the sights with that mind of hers she was known as a wayfinder for a reason.

Its around this time she met Grandmaster Yoda unaware who he was. She noticed immediately he was ikkarian and a elder ikkari at that! She held out two fingers from her right and he did the same with his left in a greeting his ears erect in surprise.

'I welcome thee to my home.'

'Valora's gift will be cherished.' She returned in ikkiaris.

"Unusual it is to see your kind so far from home."

"I could say the same for you..." She said motioning in the air halfheartedly as he gave her his name.

"Yoda." He said solemnly introducing himself as bluntly as possible seemed to be good enough for them both.

"Yoda-chan its a pleasure to meet you,"

She turned to the young teens that she saved hours ago sometimes they needed to learn the hard way sometimes it can lead to much suffering.

"Don't go out after dark especially not to those levels again and if you do learn how to shield yourself to block force based suggestion even passive ones. Also never ever go under the temple something evil lurks there extremely evil."

"And you would know how?"

"Some people are more sensitive to the dead screams than others. I still see dead people force ghosts don't count."

"Come with me." Yoda motioned for her to walk with him down the halls which were absolutely gorgeous she could tell this building was loved. A lack of defacement, despite the laughing and screaming children the good kind of playful scream as the children were playing a game. What kind of game she couldn't tell but several older humans shook their heads at they're antics amused while a few spoil sports frowned.

"Uh sure, I have my own place in town…" She said awkwardly.

"Save them you did from a grisly fate." Yoda stated a matter of a factually cutting to the chase very easily.

"They ran afoul with a pack of four anzati." Yavanna explained all business her hands clasped behind her back. A habit she picked up from her master Ullr.

"Thank you." Yoda said deeply thankful that she intervened anzat can be quite insidiously dangerous especially to padawans who don't know the dangers and how to resist them.

"My name's Yavanna by the way."

A rare name even for humans nowadays it never really gained popularity of late either. He noted something else as well the five padawans while unscathed seemed shaken deeply. What he found curious was what she said about something evil being under the temple. Perhaps its because they are used to the temple's atmosphere and she isn't? Either way it is a rather strange yet dire warning.

Walking down a set of stairs as they headed to the level where the room of a thousand fountains was. However when she stopped before an old image carved into the stone when the temple was rebuilt millennium prior what it depicted wasn't something that anyone understood it didn't match with the theme but it was significant enough to restore it to the lake level specifically in wing C near the main sparring rooms. She was frozen before it, her green eyes frightened and glazed over.

Yoda realized then she wasn't following him anymore and stood shock still at the image which seemed to pull her in. What the image depicted was a ancient depiction of a ikkarian god which not even Yoda realized it then again its an original piece carved into very durable stone that during the sith empires destruction of the temple during the Sacking of Coruscant still stood unfazed.

The stone image if you looked into it depicted a figure who was obviously a god but suspiciously looked a lot like the idols of Nol'ryannos. Depicting an ancient bloodbath resulting in sacrifices as his followers seem to bathe in blood while the foes ancient humans wielding swords and whips while they look terrified as the monstrous bat swoops down carrying several corpses into the air. Truly a terrifying piece but jedi really doesn't see it as anything really, often overlooking the detailed yet positively ancient stone carving so intricate yet disturbing if you really looked at it.

"How long has this been here?" She asked suddenly her voice as stony as her face.

The question was sudden as he was tempted to shake her out her reverie before she spoke Yoda glanced at it sensing nothing from it. It was creepy and the force said what she was saying was important.

"Millennium since the temple was rebuilt after the Cold War." Yoda answered the suddenness of the question loosened his ability to speak in his people's typical basic dialect.

"And you never questioned why it was here?" She asked sharply.

"No, why?"

She recalled stories told of the Crusades thousands of years prior she wasn't exactly fond of that point in history since the Pius Dea Crusades as they were known was all based on prominent humanocentric xenophobic militaristic tenancies. In these times our kind withdrew deep into ourselves because of an event known as Grash'thorn Yrsath which roughly translated from middle Atraii means "Wars of Hell". Her species was involved deeply with the war which saw a majority of their Triple S classed warrior castes obliterated and the caste system was completely destroyed after the war ended. The cataclysm level event saw the planet Altraa devastated by a massive change in temperature on top of a sudden plague which saw their numbers rapidly drop from over a million to maybe 15,000 or more. While they were recovering a great devourer awoke from his slumber causing the people to flee the world entirely the war destroyed them totally. Even if technically they were just someone who got involved because they were caught in the crossfire. Lets just say it was all because the ikkarians and their larger subspecies got into a brutal war which clashed across the cosmos neither side gave.

Its known as the war of hell because the other side of the coin saw the rise of the cult affiliated with the evil god associated with blood, hatred, chaos and mutilation saw in a rise of its sects dedicated to basically murdering people to appease their god. These times saw the Republics influence grow but the cost was seeing cults like this work to fill the gap left by the hutts who were defeated by a means she doesn't really remember or care to know. That tidbit of information isn't important. But considering who else was depicted was the cults leader Xarth'kobbo drath'Zor. An ikkari who for his time was an influential man but for an ikkari was probably the equivalent of a aztec high priest and for him that wasn't a good thing. He was reknown for his battle prowess and campaigns across Altraa it wasn't uncommon for him to feed hearts of soldiers they captured to the Ikkari Baskalisk-dragon. It isn't depicted in the image thankfully but Ikkari consider the creature sacred while their subspecies just considered it a beast of burden like a horse. That difference alone can cause quite a bit of ideological differences which follows that theme much like the jedi who recused themselves entirely from the republic.

For those who joined the horrible sect became the jedi who would become the Order of the Terrible Glare hated and feared deeply by her race to the point of her irrational fear of the Republic being monsters who will seek to gobble her up. Its the horror stories of this order and their affiliation of the dimensional terrors known as Rozzum that was the main reason why an assault on their temple alongside aiding the people secretly leading to the collapse to the Pius Dea religious order. They could live far longer than humans so such covert operations and underhanded means weren't unusual. Admittedly the aftermath led to grandmaster Ductivis getting elected as supreme chancellor ending the reign of the Contispex lineage* unfortunately it made regional tensions palpable even to this day from midrim to outer rim.

Its then that our species cried out for his mercy Biel Dectavus would later personally come to Zathos the last colony we had which was spared during the War of Hell. Dectavus for our people was an immensely kind individual ending millennium long rule of a cruel dynasty and even helped our species rebuild. He is renowned for his immense kindness and for his death was mourned by all as he was the one who saved us. A statue in his likeness would be interred with the highest honors in the hall of Heroes in our capital Constantinople**.

Still the millennium long crusades saw a lot of chaos involved in this its said that the Ikkarians eventually would wipe out the cult of Nol'ryannos entirely calculated and viciously brutal they would destroy nearly every artifact in relation to the evil god for fear of inviting him back into their culture. Despite reaching the stars sometimes a generation can fix problems only for the next to make new ones terrible ones, which resulted in the cult itself. Currently worship of the cult is absolutely banned by Ikkarians and the Covenant which contains the subspecies of theirs whom she cannot recall their names other than the fact it's spelled differently. I suppose it's for the best as it's currently an unimportant detail.

"Do you know what it depicts?" She demanded her gaze be boring into the grandmaster; this was no test; this meant she wasn't playing games. Not anymore.

"A battle?" Yoda asked confused, he didn't attach significance off hand to the image yes it was weird and didn't fit at all but something told him she found it off.

"No. It depicts Xarth'kobbo drath'Zor the leader of the Cult of Nol'Ryannos and his followers. You said its been here since before you can remember this image alone dates back to the beginning of the Crusades."

When she mentioned Nol'Ryannos his face while usually a healthy green the blood drained from his face turning it a pale laurel green. True terror was plain on his face he likely had heard stories of what the cults did to unbelievers they sacrificed them and ate them. Which led to various legends of windigos in the Ikkari mythology afterwards to dissuade it from being a thing if I recall correctly a variation of the story was similar to the humans version of the windigo the only difference is spelling in native tongue while the stories are vaguely similar. An oddity to be sure likely adopted by their culture.

"Impossible."

There was real fear in the force around him for good reason. If there is something evil under the temple, well he would prefer an army of sith over an old cult which survived for centuries on fear and hatred.

* * *

Later that night after Yavanna left the temple heading back to her own apartment for the night. Yoda hid his emotions well but it couldn't hide his nervousness. Not many people know this but Girik Hathor (technically its spelled Hathor Girik due to clan names but that's not important) while he could be a loving man and was beloved by those who knew him as Shogun Girik, Yoda was his second eldest and knew him all too well. He was a taskmaster enforcing learning on all of his children as knowledge is power and in that political environment being force sensitive could prove to be a death sentence. In the tail end of feudalism you either survive through chance or you strive for better and merely getting involved wouldn't do.

As swords and slugshooters were still very common and would be until Emperor Zhao on a whim said otherwise. Typically they have no power except in politics but Zhao Zhihou Jiang was feared on both accounts. Under Emperor Zhao Zhihou Jiang many force sensitives were forced to become his personal entourage given the best training which was little more than indoctrination the only one to break this hold would be his own uncle Xeran.

His force sensitivity manifested at age fourteen which for his kind is nothing granted he was capable of walking and had long ago weaned off milk their race uses this time to mentally mature. Requiring perfect conditions to actually grow before age sixty to a preteen its not uncommon for these conditions to be met unintentionally as their species is very deeply connected to the land in more ways than one. Unfortunately this also means that 'bigger cousins' of his when they found out tried to kill him after burning a rare root which specifically affects the perception of force sensitives. The smoke is sickly sweet like cotton candy with a bitter undertone and creates a series of mild hallucinations though in a more potent form it creates red smoke. Thankfully they didn't have the brains to use anything but the wild form known as Celian's Dream noted for being related to a persuader plant which only grows in swamps, and having red and blue flowers with six petals shaped like daggers.

Unfortunately for them that's when his force abilities went out of control drawing on the living force and the force he had within he killed all three 'monsters'. He would later draw what he thought he saw when he was questioned by police with his parents being present. The girl was a evil humanoid spider with passing resemblance to a demonic yokai spider (possibly only vaguely) and empress of racnoss, the middle child was a bony creature with a elk skull and apparently looked like it was a giant recently disinterred corpse and seemed to be the most outwardly threatening, the last one was the scariest demonic looking with breath that seemed to glow a fish tail doglike and terrifying as its ribs glowed a toxic green through the fur its head was half dead and eyes terrifying.

Apparently this was the reason why alongside with them being discovered to have premeditated the entire thing only to find themselves killed through the force. The elder child's leader Azai was cut by the force, lashing at him like tiny spears before being force crushed and finally impaled on a nearby root sticking up into the air after being force thrown onto it. The girl tried to run but had her limbs ripped off before she was dispatched by a wild Korrhund. The last one was dispatched by one of the largest predators a armored Ztyg, a bearlike creature with four eyes no pupils with a broad eye ridge over each eye an armored scaled hide went down its long and deadly muzzle. If you were to describe it it would be like describing the ancient ancestor of wookiees meets armored bear noted for being not just an apex predator but omnivorous as well. Its suspected that the young Yoda called to it through the force to help him.

It's been centuries since he's even thought about that foolishness even more so would be what happened a decade later. While the emperor was growing more erratic even his followers started to question his growing insanity while his species may live long they aren't immune to losing it. Yoda in his younger days admitted to snapping more than once having spent his nearly entire adult life past ninety six as the grandmaster of the jedi order, though he'll never admit how far he went either because that is something he'll never tell or admit even to himself. Even so with tensions high after the end of the lannik occupation of his homeworld the entire political shtick was a powder keg ready to blow at any moment. It was out of fear of their heir being found out by the emperor during one of his moods that Yoda was taken to a cavern in his family's prefecture which held a tree of unspeakable terror.

To call it a tree wouldn't be a correct term either. Yoda can still recall being left in the dark with only the glowing mushrooms and slight beams of light from outside falling from the skylights in the cavern. The thing was barely a tree looking more like a set of terrifying organic bits spun and woven together like spines and flesh and all sorts of nasty bits that shouldn't even remotely be associated with a tree-like thing that would take things from you that you didn't realize that you had. The tree resembled one but was truly menacing in appearance and would haunt Yoda for years afterwards because he being a child at the time actually went close to it, something he would later regret. As it took something from him, something that he would recall bitterly: his ability to get close to people at all.

His father may have had his reasons but he never _truly _forgave Girik for what he did to his own second born and de facto heir because his older twin brother had no desire to rule or lead his clan. He had no head for it. Abornath was always a bit unsociable; he unintentionally insulted people and was a general asshole to anyone who interrupted his work (he became one of the greatest mechanics their clan ever produced). While Yoda chose this path leaving his homeworld with his friend Eric after his mother died the pain of the loss hit him hard and while it may have not hurt now it left a mark on him one which will never fade. Which led to them crashing on a swampy planet where the two were revealed to be force sensitive by system Lord N'kata Del Gormo a hysalren jedi master. He was an odd master often wielding a staff which held a large crystal at the top of it with no lightsaber to speak of at least visible to the two. Being a snake-like humanoid with four large eyes and four arms also meant that clothing was rather useless as his genitals were entirely internal as well so he only wore sparse levels of clothing and only ever to carry things or detonate protection.

* * *

Even so what Yavanna said was deeply concerning…but he couldn't have imagined what lied below was something far worse.

What none would know until it was too late that it wasn't just a sith shrine that lies under the temple the shrine itself is as old as the original foundations of the place but below it in the eastern quarter lies a far darker secret. Being plagued by terrible nightmares likely did more harm that good for Yoda considering the content was far darker than he normally would dream about still it was probably the weirdest version of a sex dream also the darkest. Something was right about what she said but as the force whispered hidden secrets which were lost to him in his panic, being half awake and 686 does not make you any less freaked out by something like that. It was like he was watching others of his race commit terrible sacrifices and then eat them he shuttered. He wanted to purge that replaying of that horrible dream which felt too real to just be a dream. It spoke deeply as they were burning things he knew what they were burning and it horrified him Valora was their chief creator goddess while he's never been exceptionally religious disavowing a goddess who helped shape his people and created trails which we will either pass or fail throughout life its ..._unthinkable. _Despite his visual lack of religion Valora only requires her creations to know of her; she isn't one that people are expected to devoutly follow nor is she the only one either. Having several gods and goddesses in their religion serving as the mysticalism found in the major religion on their planet, totemic is another if he recalled faintly still its been a while since he's been home for good reason.

He doesn't like the hero worship of the younger generation or his younger siblings throwing suitors at him being from one of the harshest countries on his planet being harsh because other than rice really no other crops really grow there in Zärgamīs. Its been so long since he's walked the halls of the Kaidon he grew up in in Hathor keep or walked the streets of Iora'staris. Really if one were to describe his home it would be like a strange mix of Alderdaan and Naboo with a harsh unforgiving landscape as the animals are unwilling to give up an inch of land to us.

Grandmaster was placing a lot of faith in the Zatharian known as Yavanna. He could tell she was far older than she looked, Zatharians aged similarly to his own except they grew far more rapidly. A trait which most mammals possessed his own race descended from a pseudo-reptile that had blurred the lines between reptile and mammal. It also is the reason why they are lukewarm blooded and have a set of ridges on their nose and forehead scutes unique to the individual. While their race has indeed been caught in between their wars between the subspecies and the ikkarians themselves.

Finding Yavanna wasn't hard as she left her comm number with the padawans who she saved. Karba himself would later go and retrieve her from her apartment after they called be frank Yavanna and Yaddle met that same day Yaddle herself never actually met a zatharian. And the last time Yoda did was when he was three hundred and seventy for any length of time. They tend to have a very strange effect on him more than usual that is.

"Oh! I didn't realize that you were there mistress." Yavanna switched to formality for reasons. Female Ikkarians can be rather complicated creatures best to be safe than sorry.

Yaddle was not surprised at all but she was more surprised by the species she never saw before. While yes zatharians are omnivores their slightly pointed flat teeth look more like something from teen wolf with horns which seemed to change color to her mood like a cuttlefish or a sort of chameleon. Right now her horns seemed to shift from an alarming ruby color to a cooler amber the slightly curved horns came from the crown of her head forming a sort of half halo.

The young female was noted for being exceptionally well loved by the order for her motherly kindness. Also she tended to sneak candy into the younglings pockets which made her a favorite of many younglings. What no one prepared her for was the mere presence of this zatharian female seemed to passively relax her unintentionally.

"My apologies, if I startled you."

"Fine it is, just surprised I was. Worries seemed to fade around with you here." Yaddle said trying to smooth things over despite it not being necessary though she didn't know that.

"My kinsmen have that effect on your species. I'm afraid I'll need to borrow you for a bit if that's alright?" She asked lightly, very polite to the jedi.

Being led to where the tunnels had collapsed by jedi temple guards where Yoda spoke to several people about the issue.

"You called for me master Yoda?"

"Yes. There is a cavern below which caused the section of maintenance tunnels to collapse." Another the Nautolan wearing an odd set of clothing compared to the rest of them...very tropical mostly because of the Hawaiian shirt and shorts. That nautolan was Master Karba who served as the incumbent Master of the Order the red and green looking Nautolan with purple eyes.

"Hmmmmm."

She used her seismic sense which just looked like her stomping around but she gathered enough information about the plae below to provide her with details about a corridor below.

"Why did you ask for me?"

"The force… told us to ask you for help."

She looked between the two her eyes shocked.

_Maybe...I should tell mom? She's been alienated by our order because of what Darth Z—_

"Very well."

The hours to come would haunt Yoda for a century.

***a lot of what the vectors can or can't do specifically is based on the fact that while the body can be fragile certain methods cannot work against it. Trying to describe the vectors as natural telekinetic powers which cannot be sensed in a typical way was hard. Thankfully its over likewise they are a tool which not everyone can use. Some xenobiologists who study sentient life forms suspect the horns shape have something to do with genetic disposition of the vectors strength. **

*** Glassing is orbital bombardment with super hot plasma or low orbit bombardment as it was during the Glassing of Vadovas Basin. The trees themselves started some deadly creatures appearing their is a old saying "Dnarga Tree's never appear as just one but soon spread to many and infect all they touch." **

**A hint of what the flood is in spirit also I might have been inspired by Dondi from the Isle idea of Strain plants though I assure you Dondi the author will not be doing what you were thinking of. Your's could qualify as trees; these ones cannot they are stuck in the inbetween zone between plant, animal and for some reason fungus. I'll spin it as well considering that these will torment our current cast on and off. I give full credit to you and your team of coders developing and hard at work animating and rewriting the code of my favorite early access game. Though in line with that this does something very different than what Dondi had in mind also looks far more disgusting. **

**Also we haven't had enough Yavanna enough to develop her fully same with her future husband Yan-Quon I wanted to explore this further. **

**Constantinople has been renamed repeatedly but much like the Earth city it was politically important for a very long time. And well I haven't figured if it still is officially its 178 BBY. So Yoda is 686 years old, technically considered venerable by his species standards. Yaddle herself is 331 years old, still young by their species standards; she's probably roughly in her early thirties to late twenties. Yoda still is a bit bitter about his father's actions its an old bitterness which has faded but left behind the scars.**

**Yoda: Speak of Girik's private life you should not, might not enjoy what is found instead.**

**Abornath: Say that now you do dear brother mine clearly your memory isn't what it used to be. Recall a time when granted power you were by ours didn't refuse it's dubious honor wasted on your likes.**

**Yoda: Require a refresher I do not Abornath. **

**Titania: Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and be ready for the next one!**

**My sister actually has water on the brain its called something specific and I really didn't want to spell the technical medical term.**


	3. What lies below II

**Chapter rewrite. As you've noticed my writing can get pretty dark. I was actually partially reading another fanfiction while writing this. **

**Just so you know. And I have a tendency to swearing so you were warned.**

**Typical disclaimer. I own nothing.**

—

"_Sometimes the echos of the past shall unmake us do not allow them to consume you."- Unknown_

Chapter two- What lies below II

Entering the cavern below was a tricky thing but not impossible Yaddle and Yoda alongside fifteen others would join the expedition of a sort. Something was wrong and Yavanna froze before she got any further as she was seeing her mother being taken over violently, the black liquid rising and entering through her eyes and mouth. Flowing like water and smoke as it does so as Lorai screams in agony. Begging her own friends to run, Yavanna doesn't realize that she started to cry as she continued to push forward. Despite the horror of reliving a nightmare through the eyes of another.

The meeting of the elites, the grandmaster's death, the children being slaughtered by the hand of Lorai who wasn't in control anymore. Her eyes were pure black no whites or anything, the temple under siege, all of it because of Darth Zebul. The Temple burning because of him. How he nearly killed her entire family after stealing her body and using her like a puppet hell he even admitted that he was the one who created her using the midi-chlorian manipulation. That alone drove an entire temple to utterly destroy him.

"Yavanna!" She heard a muffled shout as the hallucination tried to consume her further.

She was on her knees begging for her own kin begging for the monster to let them go, to stop using her, to stop using her like a marionette to kill hundreds of people! All the while she's begging them to run away and it took the grandmaster and fourteen others to finally undo the puppeteer strings before Darth Zebul struck them down. It was during this that she was scarred for life seeing that all over again knowing her mother's not in control.

She didn't realize she reverted to Ikkaris and was begging for mercy. Not realizing that as she looked up it wasn't Darth Zebul who looked down at her hatefully terror filling her tear stained face and reddened eyes. The whole episode being watched by terrified and helpless to stop it, jedi masters and knights as she continued shouting, begging, whispering at someone who they had not a clue. It set Karbul on edge and if he was on edge then there is a damn good reason.

She never really was prone to being brought to her knees like this nor did she seem like the ilk who would bottle up her feelings till they were uncontrollable. Bottling up the feelings just allows them to fester longer and longer till they cannot anymore. By that point it turns into a complex emotion fueled by resentment, wrath or even rage. It's a very ugly thing like bitterness except with bitterness it either stays with someone or gradually fades away at great cost. She isn't one of those people who just loses their composure for no good reason.

Besides she's not the only one hearing things but she's the first to react this violently as whatever she saw was her weak point. Apparently the forty eight year old despite appearing far younger had yet to face her demons which is why her master probably sdent her here to test her resolve. Considering that Yaddle got the gist of what she was saying, speaking another variant which is derived from another language found on their planet. Despite what others may believe each planet has typically multiple languages living, rare, dying out, and extinct. Yoda's own kind is no exception to that rule if you were to compare it like a mixture of Croatian or Slovenian and Greek in structure of sound, considering that Yaddle herself only learnt the basics of Ikkaris living on another continent.

Yaddle's own mother tongue if she spoke it was very different to Yoda's beings they are from two different countries and continents even. The word order typical of her species remains the same when speaking basic even so Yaddle and Yoda are versed in hiding their accents eventually forgetting them altogether. Being raised by people who finished the raising that didn't have those accents before she actually started to speak meant her family's highland scottish accent wasn't as prominant if it existed at all. Yoda began speaking far earlier due to a distinct lack of volcanic erruptions that year which could have kicked ash and sulfur into the atmosphere. Those conditions seem rather minor but depending on the era it varies widely which is usually why they end up dropping their accent all together.

"Yavanna chi kobai korin." Yoda said holding her breaking the vision he was trembling as he had seen it too. Basic telepathic sending. She winced internally at the implications of losing full control over it to her usual extent.

"You saw what I saw?" She asked hoarsely in a whisper her eyes full of desperation as Yoda hugged her tightly. Yoda moved, breaking the hug. Hands on her arms as the master looked her in the eyes and merely nodded. Seeing what happened shook the old Master to the core but he pressed on. Each one had visions but as they entered the main section the anxiety and fear was palpable like ice and lemon it left a strange aftertaste and left a hollow pit in your stomach. Faster heart rates faster breathing out of fear unknowingly feeding the hallucination.

Yoda's own was a slow build up his father insulting him demanding to know why he left his position as shogun, why he refused anyone who tried to get him to marry someone else, why he let himself stagnate, why the order was lesser for it, their were several hundreds of voices he barely twitched an ear. But by the time there was one who got through to him.

'_You have failed them my son.' The clear voice of Yoda's mother rang in his head in Galactic basic; she spoke clearly. _

'_You cannot save them.'_

The thing that broke him was the brutal tearing apart was his siblings telling him that he would fail.

It took the now adult Lasarra to step forward and tell him what he knew and dreaded.

"_You let the boy get away now all shall suffer for it because you lacked the resolve!"_

"_Or is it that you don't want them to know what kind of monster that you can be?"_

Yoda flinches.

He feels something wrap around his wrist as they hear him struggle against something that is burning his skin. The black twisty living vine hisses and retreats into the blackness Yoda gasps holding his wrist he barely realizes he was crying. When Yoda reveals what was done we see a nasty acid burn at least it looked like one.

'You should have left well enough alone Hathor.' The voice spoke and as their lightsabers were used as a means to keep whatever that was at bay.

Yavanna looked around, finding the ruins below and the numerous skeletons seemingly locked in combat. The funny thing about mummies too that the jaw relaxes after rigor mortis sort of wears off making them look like they were screaming. Again this doesn't apply here but it was the first thing that popped into her head oddly enough. Ordinarily the skeletal remains would freak out a lot of people who didn't deal with that kind of thing but after dealing with so much as a youngling it doesn't really bother Yavanna. And the jedi sentinels who came with them showed nothing.

Master Karba was giving Yoda furtive glances while Yavanna grew impatient with them ignoring the fact they were stuck in a damn hole with nightmares.

Yavanna came beside him, falling back and the room itself looked to have been larger once but was half collapsed. Ignoring this she used her force healing to heal the acid burns finding something else entirely. She felt the same presence before in her mother when she was controlled. She felt a simmering hot indigity and wrathful rage as she used a similar method used on her mother to purge the bastard from her mother fully. Even after death he refused to stay dead!

"When were you going to say something about partial possession? When it was overwhelming you? Or do you think it's easy to shake it off?" Yavanna hissed viciously in her voice cracking out of fear.

"It's never easy. It's even worse if you're _alone. My mother_ tried fighting it alone and she ended up being destroyed mentally. Everything my mother was before was consumed like ash in the wind!" Yavanna spat her voice wavered full of a worry and misery.

Everything she used to be was made even worse that the man and the several people who saved her ended up dying brutally. He forced her to start the job and then proceeded to end it brutally killing the man she considered a father when by technicality she didn't have one. The aftermath left her damaged mentally that not even her own family could repair the damage. She wasn't even the same fiery spitfire she was when she was raising Yavanna all alone because the damage to her marriage was enough to destroy her even more. When her mother needed her father the most it proved to be too much for him so he left like a coward while she forgave him because he wasn't strong enough to handle it.

"It destroyed her till her spirit was nothing but an idea whispered in the wind. That kind of darkness isn't something you can shrug off whatever this is. We must stop it before it decides the younglings are next." Yavanna turned her head to the side speaking to those behind her, her brown hair swaying like a waterfall as she did so. Her blue marked brows furrowed in worry and rage this passion speaking her mind clearly.

Yoda eyes widened as well then he looked around her skeletons littered the floor many having either arrows in them or some other damage like blown out ribs from behind, if only that was the worst thing to happen here.

"That idol ...its leaking darkside energy." Master Karba said warily, eyeing the demonic oni-like Ikkarian Nol'ryannos. Unlike depictions of say human versions of pagan gods or even other religions around different gods, the same principle is different. If you were to sum it up Nol'ryannos also known by several other names including Tyrannus, Loctivus, Rnsarii, isn't like the Hindu gods in the slightest. Unlike Shiva this one represents evil but not a duality its at odds with the other deities of Ikkarian mythology in that aspect. Created solely because of the amount of hatred and malice that was present during that thousand years.

If you can imagine that its power is truly insidious taking advantage of sins to the extreme that not even their version of the devil would go to. As evil like that isn't pure evil Shåkktyab their version of the being Chaos within the force is merely the one who judges the dead she/he/them doesn't embody evil they punish the wicked. Nol'ryannos isn't like that merely embodying the sins of man like gambling, envy, or lust no this was worse. The image of it laughing at the misery of others, its hollow eyes glinting with dusty garnets, the stone used was Darkstone a type of stone which their people carved from despite its name it came in a variety of colors. It's like a middle area between limestone and granite in carving Yavanna knew this personally because her lightsaber instructor was a sculptor.

The red darkstone was carved in the image of the terrifying god of evil standing atop scorched ruins and corpses, its tusk like fangs once ivory in color now boasted only dust. Of clothing it wore articles which consisted of skulls of various races, mon calamari, nautolan, human, sephi, wookiee, ikkari, even Zatharian as a sick sort of necklace. One might think of the hindu god Kali who does something similar but each hindu god _Deva_ (benevolent) or _Asura _(not so benevolent) serves a purpose to tell a story. Unfortunately unlike Kali the statues carved of the hindu gods and goddesses or even the imagery in their likeness do not give off a sense of foreboding evil that this does. Its robes are more akin to something the nightbrothers would wear, with claws from beasts hooked onto a thread carven in stone.

Half of his chest uncovered as the strap of the clothing covered the other shoulder. His belt was simple in design yet held a weapon that none of them had ever seen before.

"Seen much I have but never seen something like this." Yoda said coming forward the statue was very much malevolent. Also hideous.

"Considering the dead…" Yavanna countered sharply, recovering a sort of edge to her voice.

"Mother told me once that the entire cult had a sort of tree that they planted that was pure evil. She said that her grandparents spoke of it melting the flesh off your bones." Yaddle mentioned quietly she looked at the statue warrily and noticed the ancient bones.

_Actually how the fucking hell did the jedi miss this place or was it sealed up tight enough to only reopen recently? Are we this blind? Karba asked himself baffled._

Several jedi looked a bit taken aback by that description and disgusted a bit.

"If you're lucky." Yoda said his accent getting thicker actually where did that come from? That was a sudden change unexpected with another thing.

"Uhhhh have you always had an accent?"

Its odd he obviously didn't have a clear accent before he did speak in the typical galactic basic with the Shakespearian vibe to it. You might not know an ikkaris accent but his was a older dialect the best way to describe it would be less harsh less clear obviously slight cajun influence (or his people's equivalent), the drawl was on the words much like a New York one. She immediately picked it up because despite its disuse she recognized it.

Its from the midlands which are known for their military might still it obviously started to fade from disuse*. Its likely that it used to be thicker considering the native tongue that is dominant in the region back when he was still a youngling. The midlands of Zärrgamīs are known for being more hospitable. Just because it was more hospitable doesn't mean that it was pleasant to be in easier to grow crops yes but not any easier for them to live.

"Huh?"

Seeing the scary altar looking ominous a pyramid with an ancient look to it actually it looked horrifying claw like precipices coming from it the step-like pyramid was obviously one of a sacrife considering the skeletons of old around it. If only this was the only evil thing hiding down below the temple itself, it wasn't.

"_Your _people made this?!" Karba asked after taking it all in. His voice raised to a rather humorous squeak.

"Granted likely insane people." Yaddle added glancing at Karba.

"Comment on that I should not." Yoda moved past them trying his best to maintain his decorum its strange but he didn't feel quite right. He could sense the darkside sure but it was something else too something felt wrong on his insides. What he didn't know was likely going to bite him in the ass later on.

"They worshiped something else…" Yaddle trailed off her eyes moving across the room their lights coming to a area which held a petrified disturbing looking skeleton 'tree'.

"Sacrificed many to the creature known in ancient lore as a beast known as the Vindicator, a being which devours minds and controls armies of the dead mutated to suit its purpose. These people worshiped it and were rewarded with death, care little for the how or why it didn't spread to other systems perhaps content being deemed a god's instrument? To call the center of such a ritual anything but gruesome would be a lie." Yoda said in this soft accent of his that gave him a drawl.

"Have you faced something like this before?" another jedi asked, staggered.

"Long ago."Yoda glanced at the jedi a suspicious look on his face.

_Curious, very curious. _Karba noticed this but what shocked him next would haunt him.

Yavanna noticed as well.

"Roll up your sleeves." Yoda asked it was no request, it was a command.

"Uh sure why?" The jedi said he may have been a guard and sentinel but his eyes were obviously glazed over.

The light revealed black skin and black veins on his otherwise human skin.

"Mas-"Yaddle didn't have a chance to say whatever she was going to say as Yoda's eyes hardened and he cut the jedi in two vertically revealing black rootlike tentacles. In the corpse. Well fuck that's disgusting. Everyone jumped or tookk a few steps back to try and not to get latched by them.

"Well... well… well...I guess I'll have to reveal myself." As the room shook a feminine voice rang out the black eldritch abomination spoke revealing a boney trunk with glowing red veins with skeletons embedded into it. Where the light was shone on it somehow the being lit up the room temporarily blinding us with moderate night vision.

"So you are the one that defeated my brother? How amusing. But you can't glass half the continent here." She said the ancient voice moved its venus flytrap esque mouth with a means of seeing town her toothy throat. When she spoke she revealed layers of teeth and a throat of sorts which is disturbing in itself. From what Yavanna could tell it wasn't entirely him either something else was there buried deeper that he tried to hide. It was toying with them and enjoying it.

"Oh are you angry Yoda? Or is it Apollyon?" She taunted as he grit his teeth trying to reign in his temper. The jedi glanced at Yoda who have never really seen the old master really and truly furious they hope they never do see the master lose it.

"Just like Girik… you know despite what you think he still believed in you even as his mind was consumed he pushed you away to save you. He left you in that cave so you would be safe despite the obvious danger our dormant weakling brother could pose to a child. So honorable so loving...yet you still hate him!" She laughed taunting him.

"Apollyon well you would have made a fine sith." She laughed and the four jaws were 'fleshy' and full of teeth that looked purple and yellow. The very image was horrifying to those who had never seen such a being before hiding below the temple unknowingly. The rest of the jedi were confused and terrified when she said that referring to Yoda as Apollyon being the reason for the confusion and abject horror at the thought of Yoda as a sith. Which struck them as very _wrong _to even think of such the only one who seemed a bit open minded about it. Even so the very thought sent shivers down Yaddle and Yavannna's spines, if he fell the universe would be far darker. That was something that even the force quivered in fear at that like it admitted that it would be true.

The funny thing is that in an instant everything shattered leaving only an echo behind revealing that what they thought they saw was nothing more than a withered old husk. Dead. Its been dead for a very long time. The jedi who was 'struck down' died eons ago in these very tunnels and his ghost remained here bound to this place because he couldn't finish what he was sent down here to do.

'I have waited a long time to be set free.' The jedi spoke he was a human and a sentinel, an obvious force ghost.

"Who are you?" Karba asked curiously eyeing the blue force ghost who looked at the master an amused smile on his ghostly face

"I was once known as Shar Tiin."

The last name Tiin was a house from the habitable moon of Iktotch. A race of near humans with twin horns that curled downward. He seemed to look mostly human despite the armor he wore obviously dating back to that time.

"I will warn you this in your darkest hour you will face evils unimaginable but the greatest threat is ourselves. The actions taken or not can destroy us. The question is will you be ready when the truth finally dawns?" Shar warned them.

"It will dawn on them by the fires of the temple burning and jedi knights, masters, padawans and younglings dead. We cannot stop it but we can limit its damage and prepare for what is to come for if we do not then all will be lost." Yavanna said as her eyes blazed with determination.

"Then what did we see?" Another sentinel spoke.

"A powerful emotional echo nothing more or less. This was the last stand where the cult of Nol'ryannos was snuffed out. But we ultimately failed in destroying the source of its power."

"Which is?" Yavanna questioned before he pointed to the statue at the base of the step pyramid where the dark side emanated from exclusively.

"Know how to do a wall of light do you?"

Yavanna face twisted into one of confusion before it hit her like a delayed effect.

"But Master Yoda we don't have enough people!" Karba protested. Typically you need a cadre of jedi to do a wall of light.

"Surely you exaggerate I mean really if Sunchaser can manage to do it without help."

"He's not." A jedi sentinel wearing red robes really the masks are all the same the only difference is slight differences in robes, voices and species.

"Technically they were known as Sun_rider _but they shared that epithlet because of their clans sigil, their actual name was Starwalker. Irony doesn't escape me."

"Technically all you need is one really strong in the force but in this case we have three."

Yavanna, Yoda and Yaddle were these three though Yavanna wasn't even officially a grey order knight. She had chosen the path of the Wayfinder for a reason but she didn't voice it to people who were ignorant of what it meant. Yaddle herself was prone to understating her own Force ability as there were others better than her.

"Doubt yourself you should not, despite what I said when you returned after your imprisonment." Yoda spoke softly.

"Did it then why did you?"

Yoda sighed. He figured this conversation would come up and he shouldn't have put it off as long as he did.

"Thrust upon you responsibility was, felt guilty for not going to rescue you but counsel was deadlocked on the issue. Played we were, didn't realize that we were leading you and Ploven Kut into a trap, by the time we did too late it was. Ulros basically gift wrapped Ploven to Tulak who murdered Ploven's entire family, bonus you were to him." He explained suddenly. Yaddle's eyes widened she knew some details but not all of them or why Ulros the half sephi was dead. Sephi can live centuries, maybe not as long as their own race but it's still long enough.

"Ulros? Sat on the counsel didn't he?" Yaddle asked her voice strained this sudden reveal after centuries was a bit much to take in.

"Unfortunately. Didn't mean anything by the vote against you just that wished you had more time to settle back in."

Yoda was sincerely concerned about her well-being, it was touching to know he cared though a few centuries too late despite the fact she just turned three hundred thirty one.

"Deserved being knighted on the spot after what you have done. No one else could have done what you did on Koba." Yoda said, surprising her.

This seemed to be a strange relationship but typical relationships start out strange the best ones this one could work she could see it. The sparks of the fact they could make it work she had seen this before was adorable to witness because they were so awkward about this relationship thing. While being jedi about it which was even more complicated considering that amount of repression isn't healthy.

"Have known many average jedi in my lifetime will know many more in years to come, average you are not." Yoda admitted.

"If you two are done flirting?" Yavanna had to tease Yoda who squawked indignantly, smirking at them both amused.

"Flirting?" Karba huffed a laugh warming his heart to see Yoda at least taking initiative to try and court her. The sexual tension between the two made him want to just arrange something to get those two together code be damned. The fact that they live long had actually brought up the thought that they might breed slowly due to that which would possibly explain why Yoda doesn't talk about his people. He was trying to protect them.

Yoda was blushing a deeper green wishing he could just vanish into the floor probably in embarrassment.

"You ever wonder why he has never stayed in the dark? Maybe because he loves the jedi too much to hurt them in that manner? Love will always be stronger than hate, rejection may burn but it too in time will fade. Besides he's obviously from the Ansöogar Prefecture they are rather old fashioned."

This tidbit of information about where his people came from is more than the rest of the jedi ever got from either of them. Considering they are indeed hiding something the reason why could be anything. Yaddle herself was in an arranged marriage but considering her father failed to get her consent (uh kinda hard when you still can't speak yet) and approval of the elders and her mother when it came down to it her father was disgraced. Thrown out of his family home and clan and basically told to fuck the fuck off.

Yoda left to escape the Emperor at the time and to avoid becoming the head of his house. Both of them had something to avoid.

"Lets do this."

Regaining his composure though he was still blushing the rest of them about six sentinels and Karba plus the three leading it. They would start the wall of light and help maintain it bearing the brunt of it. The unified front of lightsiders could in theory purge the darkside from an object or sever someone from the force blinding them to it. The best way to describe the wall of light is a source of blinding light with power behind it. Usually taking the combined powers of dozens of jedi serving as the blade of the force so to speak.

As they slowly started to form the blur white ripple of force slowly became the cage of the evil statue. As the force rippled becoming visible to the naked eye turning from blue to vibrant white trapping the thing which as it cracked releasing red energy until it shattered revealing a monstrous looking spirit. One can assume a former sacrifice or even perhaps Xarth'kobbo himself as it violently flew around its cage like some sort of genie, this was someone that was for certain. His face if you could call this illusion similar to the man considered so evil that its said that it took an army of thousands to finally end him.

The violent curses in an extinct tongue from Ikkari Prime were vicious with the single sentence being held in basic. Slow and guttural like a constant growl in the back of a throat that doesn't exist anymore considering his corporeal form no longer exists.

"You will fall like the worm Yisrael did bound to his fate he was consumed by it like you will be!" the dark ikkarian puff of smoke red and black shifting in shape and trying to escape its light prison. Unfortunately for him Yoda's green-amber eyes narrowed sharpening becoming like ice he had a clever retort to that. One that would put him in his place.

"Yisrael made his own destiny not fate those who believe otherwise are foolish." Yoda retorted his eyes narrowed as the shadowy form shifted and became ragged before vaporizing. The deed was done and the former jedi Tiin nodded as the room started to collapse immediately afterward.

"We need to move now!"

The problem was that for the others it tired them out which led to another issue entirely if they cannot outrun then what else is there? She went over to the panting jedi and using her powers of healing she helped them recover quickly. The jedi who accompanied us faced certain truths about themselves and each other. As they ran through a rapidly collapsing cavern complex held up only by that evil totem's own darkside energy. Eventually making it back just as dust came up through the crevice.

"Who is Yisrael?" Yavanna panted as she got up, everyone was on the floor of the maintenance tunnel trying to catch their breath.

"Ancestor of mine. Famous he was, for stopping infighting between clans." Yoda said through never revealed anything about his family or origins but on this occasion he made an exception due to the circumstances surrounding that.

"Formed first star navy of our kind he did." Yaddle noted. This was a rare bit of information that you are lucky to get at all from either jedi master at all but their own ability to really say these things around a zatharian made the rather odd change surprising. It didn't escape anyone this sudden change in them telling anything about their rather secretive species.

After everything the six jedi sentinels and Karba just went to their normal posts or in the case of many passed out in their room. Though Yavanna had something different in store she offered to take them out for drinks. What surprised her was her modest apartment and the softly flowing living force from the plants she had in the room.

"I find gardening relaxing. I could never sculpt clay, wood or even stone like my one lightsaber teacher could." She explained half these plant species Yoda didn't know the name of. He was rather curious about them by the looks of it.

Yaddle was looking at the sapling of a melancholic looking creamy grey with reddish leaves. Its force signature wasn't like the rest of the plants it was very somber like it was mourning which she found odd.

"Its a rare type of tree Titania took a cutting of one from Zakuul after seizing every record they had and destroying their sanctum. It's a tybuis tree its said a red haired girl lost her family and prayed KoIralla for something anything to give meaning. Its said her tears and pain was absorbed into a sapling which became the first Tybuis tree." She said.

She gave a sideways glance and went into the kitchen bringing out a bottle of alcohol.

Its there that we find out who Apollyon was after four cups of Ikari sake Yoda explains the name. The strange thing is that she later found out that Yoda without the use of purge poisons a healing ability that you can learn he can out drink most of the masters of the 'old guard'. Which makes him rather strange that Sake would loosen his tongue. It is known as rice wine for a reason the higher alcohol content shouldn't really matter because either way after so much alcohol you consume the effect is pretty much the same. By that I mean even if the alcohol content is 5% and you keep drinking despite that the blood to alcohol levels will increase to that. If you drink it slowly and savor it then you can control your level of alcohol in your blood so by the time your ready to go you'll be stone cold sober. Without it being watered down aged liquor is like drinking paint thinner as with aged whiskey or scotch it can taste like how paint thinner smells. Again to those who are unused to it at least or like the taste.

Sake is something else entirely and if you are unprepared you will get absolutely smashed very easily. Considering that this type of sake was a type of sake which had a spicy zest to it. You see sake depending on preference can differ as widely as normal alcohol, season, aging the koshu or matured sake is far coarser and thus stronger. Beginner sake drinkers are probably not going to want to go down that road, the fresh sake is milder in flavor and probably won't knock you on your ass if you don't drink the whole bottle in one sitting. Though it's acceptable if you do just don't do it all at once. Considering that they have a sort of culture behind drinking it kampai being the toast to go with it. Take in the aroma of the drink allow the taste to linger in your mouth when you sip but this is only in politeness. If you aren't drinking alone well typically they take turns pouring it in the cups of those who want a refill. Its just good manners for all involved.

The fact Yavanna had a bottle of Surkaii sake was impressive enough considering customs rarely allowed such a beverage out of their hands seizing it. Surkaii is a spicy sake with a flavorful umami that was made so by Omachi rice which is rare for a reason the yeast used gave it a shiitake mushroom taste which complimented the flavoring giving it a strange sort of savoriness that Omachi was known for.

One doesn't question how a Wayfinder manages to get something like this through customs. For her it's easy enough despite the fact that there was a regional ban on certain alcohols being brought in. Sake was one of them, why is anyone's guess. Considering

"Once was called Apollyon in the outer rim and Ikkarian Hedgemony." Yoda admitted his accent was thicker now you could tell if you knew what to look for.

"Why?"

Yoda looked away.

"A falling out between my father and I,ended well it did not for either one of us. Rather nasty to my enemies back then I was, regret it somewhat I might but no other option I had." Yoda mentioned. The civil war between his family and his father was a literal one and was his rather darkest hour he doesn't like talking about it mostly because he moved past it and didn't allow it to effect him presently. But certain things can effect you especially considering how something was happening and no one yet knew it something horrible deep down a spell activated after centuries of remaining dormant. As he returned with Yaddle to the temple drunk and she was tipsy eventually deciding too sleep it off in his quarters as he fell asleep he felt something cold reach inside him and claw at him. He didn't rest easy.

_Don't trust that witch Isadora. _

**And that's a wrap.**

***For this it refers to regional dialect specifically. I gave him an accent for a reason and it doesn't show up because he's repressing it and thus is forgetting it there is a reason why. Always. **

**The Ikkarian Hedgemony was from the original and I don't want to reveal too much. For those of you who thought perhaps the reveal of him being ordered to glass planets might be out of character for him. You must realize he was a very different person when he was in his two hundreds which to put it in human years would be like his twenties. He was a very different person.**

**Xarth'kobbo was a very important figure in their past it shall become clear why. **

**Yes the tree of death is based off the gravemind. Also considering Lucasfilms couldn't use the name Sunrider for reasons I reconned it as a family nickname and made their last name on a pun on Skywalker now being Starwalker. Make what you will of that. **


	4. Consume Thy Heart

**I admit that this next chapter is technically going to be filler. Typical disclaimer I sound like a broken record you get it now onto the story!**

—

"_Ignore the passions ye doth have do ye? Then consume thou's flesh and thought, once a taste you do have consume you it will if you aren't careful." -Sith Pureblood Aron, jedi master_

Chapter 3- Consume Thy Heart

Yavanna was meditating in her apartment when city wide alarms went off. And it was no drill. She felt being responsible own emotions enraged and confused at being trapped on this planet, enraged as people tried to shoot it. Every step it took shook the buildings as Yavanna quickly collected what she knew she needed: her sabers, a high powered tranc gun modified so it can easily fire any type of tranc usually, her commlink, and of course a key to her modified speeder.

It was modified because she suped it up so it didn't look like a hovercraft reject as she put it. Basically she took a model of speederbike broke it down rebuilt it to her desires. So it doesn't look like a swoop bike which looks like a bike version of a floating lawnmower up front. In its stead you got one hell of a hot rod the red with silvery ghost flames. This can pull off maneuvers that a typical run of the mill speederbike could only dream of. Running to mount up the bike which was like riding a rebuilt harley davidson if your into that thing.

Her own family was good with mechanics so taking it and making it better is child's play to her. Which is why her mothers half siblings run a shop based on fixing them. Despite everything you aren't making good money despite this the fact the shop pays a consistent rate and not commission* helps create a reputation for good work. But that didn't matter; she put the key into it, granted the _key _was little more than an glorified card really.

It roared to life as she revved it taking off as it flew off much like your land based typical cars, not the hovercraft versions, the vehicle had gauges for fuel, heat of the motor, speed and altitude. Brakes are on the handlebars with the shifter into another gear being on the right, the foot rests themselves allowing them to gain altitude or lower it. Gaining a licence to pilot one for some might be an achievement but for others it becomes a chore and thus holds no meaning.

As her hair wildly whipped around her as she sped towards the danger. That's when she saw it breaking, bringing it horizontally across the road. Towering above the buildings was a creature she had only heard about. Said to sleep centuries and have about a dozen young in that time. The dragonic thing looked like a creature out of a fairy tail except this fairy tale is real and is currently terrified.

"For the love of the Force! They brought a denergath here of all places?!" She shouted seeing his form tower over several building enough to tell what it was.

Its fifteen types of immediate danger and immense stupidity due to the sheer population of Coruscant. The fact the city is layered making it twice as dangerous because if it burrows as its known to do it could do more than collapse a city block. It could collapse a topside city block and fifteen to twenty others under it if not more. A nervous creature by nature yet powerful it was known to be violent when provoked. Like now. The lack of nature to sooth it boded ill.

It has six eyes on its head beaked and lupine vaguely in shape massive in size wyrm like segmented body with a maw full of broad yet sharp fangs. Its hide was a brilliant orange and purple and had streaks of red flowing down its lateral line having multiple legs all of which can burrow through rock and stone like its nothing, surely duracrete is nothing to it. It looked vaguely canine; she drove fast and commed Yoda on the now rampaging confused and irritated creature.

A lack of forested region or anywhere with no people made the whole situation worse. Its so deeply connected to the earth and nature that it avoids people for that reason. Its Leviathan size is the other reason you would think that such a creature's bones would shatter due to its immense weight. You would be wrong defying the laws of physics by simply existing, people tended to act irrationally when faced with a kaiju-sized monster. With rattling spines about the size of a very large scorpion bolt.

"We got a problem!" She shouted over the wind.

"Noticed this I have." Yoda grimaced trying to subdue the creature failing as a limb flicked him away. Into a shop's window landing with a harsh crash into the cases holding jewelry ironic that. He had plenty of cuts caused by the glass he smashed through thankfully his race is hardy otherwise he wouldn't have walked away without breaking something or cutting something important as Yoda pulled himself out of that using the force to move the pieces of glass out of the way. The light glinting off the shards alongside reflections the shop itself was abandoned and even had the closed sign on.

The security forces, mercenaries who decided to join in after the favorite bar of mercenaries the Iron Drakkar was destroyed. The jedi were having little effect on it currently they were just trying to contain it but its sheer bulk and size is proving problematic.

"Who's bright idea was it to bring a skittish apex classed Kai'rai Denegath?" She growled as she flew down the streets.

"The research institute of xenobiology thought it was a fossil apparently it wasn't." Karba noted with a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Obviously the idiot scientists were tempting fate."

"Fate apparently decided to screw us over." A Mandalorian wearing beskar armor in red and orange said as she flew around and unleashed her flamethrower. Unfortunately for her the denegath was immune to fire at that temperature as its one set of eyes on its right side narrowed with a flick of its powerful claws with such precision her jetpack was disabled and with a single roar that was absolutely deafening did something that no one expected made the mercenaries run away in absolute terror.

Recalling what was once said about denegath _'...capable of inflicting terror in certain select people at a whim a truly terrifying move which leaves the people in a state for hours. It takes years for some to come to terms with it and the fear twists into phobias enhancing them further if any are present at the time'. _Truly a terrifying prospect that a number of mercenaries will be cowards for the next few hours and even after the effect wears off they will not truly be the same.

"I got an idea but it requires us to stop firing blasters at it." She said irritated that someone would still shoot at something that could crush you. It would require several open comms fortunately her commlink system allowed for simple voice interface shutting off the holographic projector integral to typical calls nowadays. Allowing for her to cohesively coordinate between multiple people the update patch also made it easier to transmit ideas.

"How do you take one down?" Uiar asked he was a jedi that was recently knighted and was a half human half togrutan he was odd indeed. In a good way.

"Usually electrical stunning lines but he's too worked up we are better off trancing it and getting it back home, but we don't have the stunning lines. If it decides to burrow then we are dealing with a couple million creds if not more of damage and a lot of people dead. But …" Yavanna had a crazy thought as she saw a music shop nearby stopping suddenly a idea spawning inside her head.

"They love music. They can be calmed with music, harp music is the best." She breathed.

She looked at the shop with the sign saying "Cal's Music shop" and the hoverbike going into the shop and she had to work fast going through the shop as people cowered inside. Quickly as she scanned through the force what would work most assuredly, certain amps needed an external power source but a number of the most expensive ones didn't need one having an internal power conductor much like our lightsabers in a way. Turning on with a turn of a knob. The rest of the Jedi scrambled to try and stop the blaster fire and follow Yavanna's lead as Yoda barked orders to them.

"I need to borrow your amps and electric harp."

"Take it!"

The panic in the room made her uneasy like a sickening pit inside her stomach of unease if this was what needed to be done then so be it she will not fail. Using the force to lift the amps and the harp she chose. The blue one its been a while since she's played one of these she has a smaller harp at her apartment.

Heading in the direction of Denegath setting up the amp plugging in the amp wire whatever it was called. The harp isn't an easy instrument to play by no stretch of the imagination no instrument is. Putting the strap over her head and beginning to play the tune was a old lullaby one could describe music like a voice without words that held so much emotion before it turned into something else.

He stopped visibly calming down the bristling spines were no longer rattling dangerously on his head. His head may seem lupine in shape but he had a beak ful of teeth and despite all this the species of Denegath were very attuned with the force but in a different way. They are said to be the progenitor of the quadrupedal race known as Tchuukai which were like triceratops in a way except with omnivorous tendencies they revere them as a sort of god. Less god more like ancestor they do worship their ancestors basically though being a secretive race has its drawbacks. They aren't xenophobic they just aren't fond of being used as pack animals, enslaved to be used as such, they can't stand being caged like a horse. Those kind of things leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth which is why they allied with a force group known for punishing slavers harshly if they dare come into their sector.

As the song itself was slowly joined by others eventually becoming a small band each one providing soothing tones adding to the layers of the song which rang out. I hardly noticed that Yoda actually was playing a violin for an elder ikkari you wouldn't have expected him to tune and grab a violin sized for a lannik ironic that. It was indescribable to describe a violin's sound like that it sings clearly yet spoke with clarity that was richer than any sound producible like gold it was rich and clean and spoke with more emotion. When you're in a large group of people playing together the feeling is indescribable like being in sync all at once. It slowed down and lowered its head and body, its six legs lowering it closer to the ground. Enjoying the musical ensemble as it rumbled its content, its blue eyes showing approval with our solutions. As the violin sang its lament for the harp telling a story one between two lovers who could not stay together because they're parents forbade it.

The violin is capable of so many sounds due to its bow becoming full and high and yet thin and soft gentle it speaks in complexity. To describe it was more than sound more than liquid gold it brings out emotion and beauty to patterns of music which with other instruments or even other string type instruments it can sing bring out emotion that expresses its true harmony and capability of reaching new heights. Which is why no author can accurately describe the way it sings belting out full notes then be drawn into a whisper turn from a screech to a howl and still sound good. Complimenting the harp even as it was joined by a small ensemble of force blind who were from the mercenary bar and got out just in time.

As the song was joined by voices of many different instruments as each one instrument wind, string or horn giving it depth and character. No one could have guessed that Yoda was a talented musician then again it might explain a few things.

"_**I have lived long and yet my work is still unfulfilled. Millennium I have lived waiting for the one who would change the fate of what is to come. A dark storm is brewing alone we are nothing together we are stronger remember this Jedi and Wayfinder. Together only will you survive the one who will be the one to chase the storm will come. She shall be known as the Oncoming Storm, Stormbreaker. I leave the rest to you to live well. Do not fear the attachments and joy it will bring; however long or short it will last. Life was meant to be enjoyed and sometimes that means being a little selfish, think of yourselves more Jedi no one should have to be alone in a crowd of people. Wayfinder take care of the egg. I leave her to your care. Fare thee well." **_the ancient one left an egg that seemed to look like living fire and magma on the ground its voice was double layered and deep its blue eyes spoke with ancientness that one couldn't match. Turning its ancient head and blue eyes towards the Jedi who looked on with wonder. It's then Yavanna realized who this Denegath was Feûria the Venerable his scales had aged and turned brilliant instead of their brownish grey.

_Fear yourselves you do sense it I do smell it I do. The greatest threat you face is within. _He spoke telepathically as he bowed his head fading away like green energy before becoming one with the force. Leaving behind an egg that was glowing like inner fire.

"Well I think I need to verbally dress down the morons responsible." Yavanna growled irritated at the turn of events seeing the damage which was minor some major others really can be replaced. Hovercars smashed amongst hoverbuses with various high flying vehicles that mark the atmosphere crashed with thousands wounded or dead from such.

What's done is done. Nothing that can be done except tend to the wounded, dead and see to the damage done to the city itself. The roof of the science building of xenobiology was totaled and there is no doubt that several of the scientists died because of their arrogance. That they could control what they weren't meant to control at all. Denegath as they are known in Yavanna's tongue are wardens of the order of nature as well as the only beings who can keep the Devourer at bay Feûria the Venerable was one of the few who was revered for battling it out with the devourers which once terrorize Altraa long ago.

She picked up the egg which was a bit bigger than a football. Only the weight of the electric harp reminded her she should return to the shop to return it considering she didn't buy it and her stipend wasn't exactly for such large expenditures. While Yoda was kind of ignoring everyone else after all this happened with a dopey smile on his face was weird. I guess somethings are better left unsaid.

—

**So that's that. Yoda apparently is a talented violinist and Yavanna's a harpist. And the monster was actually a manifestation of the force in a way. Connected deeply to the earth and considering that Coruscant isn't exactly ecofriendly at all with all native life going extinct because of big corporations control over the political climate ensuring that groups who would have gone for saving forests, rivers and that shit never gained a foothold. Even Yoda finds this uncomfortable especially on a bad day. Also Yoda doesn't care what your species is that's something that come with age for his species though not everyone is like that.**


	5. Secrets Untold, Mine to Behold

**Typical disclaimer yada yada yada. Lets get this show on the road**

**I got laryngitis while finishing up this chapter **

* * *

_"Seek out doom and you shall find those willing to give you hell. Ignore warnings and common sense to not kick the hornets nest for if you do your evil ways will cause others to turn on you. And thus you shall be consumed like an arbiter of fate."_

Chapter 4- Secrets untold, mine to behold

It was a typical day on Coruscant really the sun was shining, the roads were open with traffic and the city's sounds were over stimulating. Its days like these Yoda personally hated the most. He didn't find out until last night that important paperwork needed to be turned in and was bogged down in the system till it was nearly due. To say that the grandmaster was irritated was an understatement Kanima had to take over his classes while he got the paperwork done. He got it done in time thankfully but it took most of the day and a latter part of the night.

He eventually made it to bed late but didn't sleep soundly. He was plagued by nightmares of something in space terrorizing an entire sector. It couldn't have been a leviathan. It was something far worse. It was going to be one of those days wasn't it?

Four classes in and Yoda could already feel a headache blooming behind his eyes. Karba noticed that his mood seemed rather irritable today. Despite everything the grandmaster isn't immune to having bad days everyone knows this.

Elsewhere in hyperspace two near-Ikkarians were arguing loudly in the lounge of a spaceship. I say near-ikkarian if only because they resemble them all except in stature and teeth. Internally that is a different matter as the two argue in their native tongues.

"_I told you we should have made a left!" _The shorter male argued with the female.

"_No I said left you said right at the Balaroos cluster!" _The female argued her ears flared back her mouth drawn into a snarl. Baring her teeth which looked like an odd mixture of sharp fang like teeth and blunt ones. They both had forehead scutes in a unique pattern much like a unique identifying feature with a prominent brow ridge hooding the eyes. Three fingers that were clawed and three toes still their human size was an unusual feature.

"_Will you two morons shut up?!" _Another voicebarked furiously. As they dropped out of hyperspace unknowingly entering Republic space. Or perhaps knowingly in the grizzled old commander's case.

"_Now we are going to ask for directions and be civilized about it." _The other person came in his presence was that of a commander as he grasped both of their shoulders painfully enough to get their attention and making the younger male wince as he squeezed.

"_Do not embarrass me."_ The older commander type said his steel grey hair matched his forest green toned skin and his orange eyes seemed to shift color in the ever shifting light. The younger male at five foot six was still shorter than the six feet total on the older commander nodded the same with his female companion. The female had brownish blonde hair with stormy green-blue eyes wearing expensive looking clothing that looked designer. Jeans and a long sleeved shirt with embroidery on both of barsogalla trees which looked like a odd mixture of a plum and cherry trees in bloom on them and birds of some sort. Her hair was about shoulder length and was wavy obviously because she styled it that it came out that way. Her skin wasn't green but a deep chocolate color with a shade of green within.

Surprisingly she didn't wear makeup despite looking like she could pull it off. Ironic that.

The younger male looked like he could pass as a member of the scrapper guild with his clothing the grey eyes of his belayed a sharp intelligence. Something was off about both of them though no one else was on the ship except maybe the astromech and he was little more than a pet. With shorter dark brown hair near black with facial hair a mustache to be clear. A strong jaw with a softer facial structure though the lack of nose ridges was actually rare for them and he did lack them. Some would attribute this to a deformity of some sort you might be correct in that assumption as well. Still he is far older than he looks but far younger than the commander of the ship.

The commander was not a good looking man grizzled by age and battles untold he carried a certain darkness with him that he cannot get rid of. Nor could he even if he tried as the past is what made him this way. His skin was an artichoke green with a bit less yellow in its undertones due to the pigment being uneven due to scar tissue and thus paler in color. Pockmarked skin caused by something and burn scars going down his right arm covered in the clothing he wore. He had a buzz cut more like a marine back in the day his eyes were orange sure and shifted color depending on the light hitting them.

He had been a career military man at one point before being honorably discharged. If only his superiors knew what he did without them knowing if they had then he wouldn't have been honorably discharged at all. His eyes were full of ice and for those who knew him personally could say that he was a sonofabitch with a high charisma, with a reputation that would make a sith pureblood shutter. As he went back to the cockpit after they dropped out of hyperspace making their way down to a little blue and green marble called Naboo.

—

Yoda was ordered by the senate to try and deal with a crew trying to do something on Naboo. They were still trying to find a translator droid that could figure out their tongue figuring Yoda might have more luck. For some inane reason they thought it was a damn good idea.

"We cannot pin down the exact tongue as of yet." The senator of Naboo a human called Azarith Organa said the fancy Naboo fashions were always rather irritating for some more simple folk. A distant relation to the Organa's of Alderdaan who was far less willing to wear the more recent fashions. Formerly a initiate who instead chose to become senator of the planet Naboo which he was born on.

"I believe that there might be a relation between your species and there's master Yoda." Another holographic human said a aid or junior senator who was wearing clothing more befitting her station. By that I mean fancy high class Naboo clothing which was almost as bad as the stupid female hairstyles.

"What?" Yoda taken aback his own people typically learn basic if they were intent on leaving their homeland.

"Sending the information now."

They were like taller versions of ikkarians except they weren't his species. The holographic images couldn't capture their skin color or anything which has proven somewhat detrimental. At least to a point. Yavanna's still working on it.

"How tall were they?" Yoda asked he had his suspicions.

The senator and the aid exchange looks.

"Why is that relevant?"

"Justified my question is, answer it maybe I can help or not." Yoda's voice sounded strained. _Like where this is going I do not. _Yoda thought.

"Typical human height."

Yoda's eyes narrowed from his chair in the high council chamber. There was a lot of bad blood between his species which is the dominant one and the Ikaarisans. Which despite their size advantage gave up far more they gained their name from a region of Ikkari Prime where they numbered well over a thousand. They thrived there while the Ikkarians didn't like the area at all. They have been known to raid settlements of his species in the past back when they lived on the same goddamned planet and kill their children.

Ikaarisans may age the same but their children are a different story aging at a faster rate than typical for Ikkarians except during exceptional environmental factors.

Yoda grimaced disgusted at the very thought while the younger more innocent ones tend to be rather easy to be around. The older ones are a different story; their pheromones act as a sort of 'stay away from me' displeasure sign. While not all of their race disliked the ikkarians enough to be this petty the scent stays with you typically nearly all day. Granted pheromones typically don

"Not the same species we are. If in same room we are for prolonged period miserable we will become."

He left out the bit where the two cannot stand each other the pheromones that they have actually act as the repulsing thing like with magnets the same pole repulses another of the same polarity. It causes them to gradually avoid each other like the plague. Considering that it was either that or annihilation. Take your pick.

"Can you do it?"

"Hearing me you are not? It's a bad idea to put me in the same room and expect good results." Yoda snapped irritated.

Yaddle had no idea what these people were having never heard anything about these near-ikkarian species so was utterly clueless.

"Know not why you are so hesitant about this." Yaddle said a bit concerned about how against this Yoda was.

"How bad could it be?"

"Easier to program a droid than deal with them." Yoda snapped.

There was a lot of bad blood even now centuries if not millennium since the great schism. They made the fool mistake of erasing or hiding the history during the pre-old Republic before Kreia Fell. Hiding they even existed until the truth finally dawned and it dawned in fire. Yoda dealt with their kind before and it wasn't a fun time. For anyone.

That pretty much forced them to vote on it sending Yoda and Yaddle with backup from Yavanna who was asked to help on the behalf of the counsel.

It didn't end well.

* * *

Naboo was host to these threesome who were unusually unable to speak basic who were currently being held by immergration. Or perhaps they were hoping for a confrontation? They couldn't be certain either way when the council outvoted those against Yoda he didn't have a choice but to go. As Yoda was wound tighter than a spring he was half expecting a deadly trap to be sprung. The trip was rather quiet between the three Yoda looked absolutely furious about the vote but it cooled down to something with a simmering hatred almost volcanic something that was carefully hidden in his own force concealment. Modified to hide his own obvious displeasure though the fact he was quietly stewing made it harder for anyone to enjoy the trip in the corvette class Republic ship.

"The ship what is it?" She asked a crewmember.

"Corvette class diplomatic ship." A crew member answered Yavanna she may have changed her clothing to better blend in with the two but the only reason why she was here was because the jedi asked her to. And they understood that her own master wants her to overcome her fear of the Republic by seeing the good and bad. So why not let her come as a sort of tagalong? Especially considering what happened a few weeks ago with that kaiju sized being giving her an egg which she doesn't believe was that of his species either. She has yet to identify the species but thanks to the people in the crèche who deal with various races even ones that lay eggs she managed to get a stable incubator set up.

Apparently bioscanners can correctly identify stable incubation temperatures with fertilized eggs. Weird.

Having no prior real time experience with Republic Ships old Republic ships yes. But even their aging battleships had been retired and while the designs of ships from the Old Republic era are still quite prevalent in her sector of Wildspace. Likewise while the ships go beyond battlecruisers, transport of troops, supplies or even star fighters and beyond that personal private ships. The designs are a solid mix between the Eternal Empire, Old Republic, and the Sith Empire with improvements and alterations since the fall of each. Likewise she was used to having to deal with the occasional complaint of computers just not meshing well with the current system. You could say because your dealing with designs based off many different types of ship specifically what works and what doesn't and meshed together it doesn't always mesh seamlessly.

This type of ship is completely new to her while one could argue its because the ship itself was meant for all the parts being used correctly the problem is that the Eternal Empire to have a population without needs or wants really they ended up draining other planets of resources. Even though Zakuul may have not stripped Zathar dry of its natural resources when it came down to it they fought like demons possessed. Enough to frustrate the eternal emperor Arcaan who unlike his father probably wouldn't drain the planet of all life. Even so the fact that it came down to a nasty fight with Titania personally leading the space battle. The resources after the battle typically led to shipbuilders using the designs of their foes not out of disrespect but as a sign of honoring the fallen.

Beyond that the fact imperial ships computers were salvaged and plans were easy to get long after the war. Especially if you knew where to look for ship designs which led to them being blended together with a typical zatharian flair to it. They may have not been Sluissi who consider such shipbuilding an art but they worked with what they had and it worked pretty well. Especially considering once a ships broken in the glitches in the computer rarely appear unless it's during a deep space journey lasting over five years, or in extraordinary cases like anomalies or the ilk.

"I'm guessing you've never been in one?" The crewmate glanced at her friendly giving her a side glance.

"No, most of the ships where I'm from are built for defense, shipping, personal use, long range exploration missions, scientific research, salvage or war." Yavanna explained.

"How long are we talking for a long range?" The crewmember asked curious.

She thought about it for a moment.

"Deep space exploration missions can last upwards to six years before returning back to known space if they aren't attacked damaged or otherwise maimed."

"I'm guessing that your people don't have access to bacta?"

She made a sour looking face.

"Bacta is limited for some things and in some sectors outright banned. It cannot fix everything, especially considering our biology." Yavanna winced recalling her mother's cracked horn and cut in the middle of the other horn. The memory of her being deeply hurt physically and mentally alongside the rather deep wounds from a lightsaber and even to this day she's not quite right.

_Perhaps I should ask my mother if she would be willing to speak with Yoda about living with them? The jedi seem to be more ...well they might be more receptive considering the old temple has too many bad memories she can't erase. The fear that her tormentor might come back from the dead and possess her progeny after causing them to fall into darkness like hooks in them. Perhaps I should take a few of the counsel aside and speak to them privately? Mother has mentioned wanting to leave not out of spite but to find her own inner peace after what happened I do not blame her. Another time perhaps. _Yavanna thought coming up with a plan for her mother at least the beginnings of a plan with multiple options at least was the best option.

"Hmmm?"

_Bacta can't mend horns._ Yavanna thought miserably. Her horns shifting to a grey and slowly turning black.

"It can't fix our horns the smaller ones sure but the main ones? The largest ones? Which externally can be complex in shape and internally even more so. Bacta cannot fix our horns if harmed. If its cut to the base we can suffer brain hemorrhaging, if they shatter while using the full extent of our vectors death will follow, a cracked horn reduces our ability to use vectors and even with treatment may never fully repair itself. My mother cracked her horn and the other broke clean off while the broken one regrew the crack never healed properly. Bacta burns the cells which allow's our horns to change color to our emotions."

Even as they entered the port then the fun began. If you will call the warzone it would absolutely become in a couple hours.

Yoda was led into the room where the three imbeciles were being held with Yaddle and Yavanna trailing close behind the guards close behind.

_What did they do to warrant such security?_

We would soon find out.

The pheromones the ikkarrians caught wind of as well as the larger subspecies as well as something else Yoda recognized the commander vaguely despite being a few decades older than him if not a century. Despite the immediate or near immediate reaction as well as the door locking behind the three to Yoda's shock his eyes widening.

_Not part of the deal this was._

Yaddle having never dealt with this scent before from this perspective grew irked at them locking the door.

"_Ruse is up." _

"Hello again Shogun Yoda."

"Figured this was a elaborate ruse when locked the door they did."

"Yet you fell for it didn't you Apollyon?"

Yoda's eyes darkened a dark look passing over his face. Something that the taller ikarisan took a certain joy in

"Called by that name I am no longer." Yoda snarled absolutely furious, shocking everyone in the room Yavanna and Yaddle who never knew him to be easily infuriated. Actually Yaddle can't recall a time he was angry legitimately in her life actually.

"Yet you can't escape it. Didn't you slaughter your own country's leader and burn his family alive when you were recalled to your planet?"

This wasn't something he wished for anyone to know at all his reasons for doing so may have been just but doing such as grandmaster is almost like a grandmaster becoming a warlord its rather tasteless. Yoda knew that maybe it would come up eventually but he hoped it never would. As Shogun he's been called to do some rather horrible things for everyone's sake and very few people knew how bloodthirsty he was when he was younger he's tried to suppress it. That primal urge to cause pain to those who deserved it and several other things mostly unspent sexual frustration. He's fought himself mentally for centuries and no one even knew that he hated the rules against attachment just parroting them back and the code so he could even become a padawan officially and then later a knight.

Eventually he lost his own self and forgot his original distaste for them more precisely he stopped fighting it and gave in.

"What are you talking about this wrinkly old guy can't be him. He seems rather chill and well liked." Surprisingly for some reason the younger ones weren't giving off any of those pheromones' which act as arggavating irritant to the mood of ikkarians.

"I'm in agreement here."

"You don't know him like I do."

The female rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because your antagonizing him you idiot." She snapped at him sharply causing the commander to glare daggers at her.

"Yeah I don't have a death wish." The other male said staying out of it. A wise choice. One doesn't merely kick a hornets nest nor agitate a tiger without a reason and usually that reason is exceptionally stupid especially in regards to both scenarios. Right then the commander didn't care that Yoda's species were far more dominant for reasons. That they could easily overpower them by strength despite their small size which is the main reason why they were dominant.

What he said next made Yoda absolutely lose it.

_I killed your wife._

**BANG!Cliffhangar. What did I call the three again? Did I even give them names? No matter we shall find out.**

**Also during the clone wars specifically a comic Yoda carried a huge box which had a giant chaingun which Yoda then used to obliterate an entire droid army. I figure this means that their species is not only extremely durable but able to lift immense amounts of weight naturally. Which makes sense but I'm sure that more will be revealed in time.**


End file.
